Dreams Down Memory Lane
by Fiver
Summary: Set just after VForce. Kai's nightmares about BioVolt have returned. But they become more than just dreams when one of his teammates accidentally ends up in them! Can whoever it is change the past? DISCONTINUED.
1. Nightmares

Hello everyone…. This is my first fic I've written alone, so it might be rubbish, but go easy on me, hmm?

Chapter 1: Nightmares

(Ray's POV)

My eyes flicked open. It was still dark. Why was I awake? Imust haveheard something...

I layperfectly still and listened intently, but all I heard was the peaceful breathing of my team mates, all asleep in their sleeping bags. I was just beginning to think I had imagined it and was about to close my eyes again, when I realized that one person's breathing wasn't so peaceful. I sat up and scanned each of my friends one by one to see who it was.

To my surprise it was Kai. He was breathing really hard and seemed to be in the middle of a bad dream. I just sat and stared for a minute, unable to believe it. Then I told myself not to be so stupid. Although it may not seem like it sometimes, Kai was only human and had nightmares just like the rest of us. And judging by the little we've learned about his past, I wouldn't be surprised if they were more memories than dreams. I got up and walked over to him, just to check if he was ok. My eyes widened when I saw the state he was in. He was shivering and trembling, and drenched in a cold sweat. He looked almost….frightened.

I knew he was probably dreaming about his time in Bio-volt. It was scary, seeing someone who was normally so strong rendered completely helpless inside his own mind. I wondered what horrific images were being played back to him behind his closed eyelids. I decided to wake him up. I was about to, when I realized I should probably get my excuses ready, since Kai would be furious if he knew I had seen him like this and been concerned. I don't know why he thinks it's so embarrassing to need help once in a while! I'll just say that I was on my way to the bathroom or something and…..well, I'll make that part up later.

"Kai?" I said softly, trying not to wake any of the others. It was kinda hard trying to wake someone without making a noise. How am I gonna do this? I reached out to nudge his arm, but as soon as I did….

"AH!" I gasped. Something was pulling at me, I felt like I was going down a long tunnel or something. I could still see Kai, but he seemed a long way away and everything was becoming blurred. I cried out and all of a sudden Kai's eyes snapped open. I hit the ground with a thud, which was strange since I didn't remember ever being off it. What had just happened?

"Ray?"

Uh oh, Kai's staring at me now. All my excuses just left my head….oh great.

"Kai, what's going on!"

"What?"

"Well, you were dreaming, and I was just, um…."

"Trying to help."

"Yeah, and then I felt like a giant vacuum had turned on me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know!" I said helplessly. He was not helping!

"Well I suggest you go back to bed, we're training tomorrow."

I still felt totally dazed, so I just kind of muttered, "Yeah, bed….whatever."

I was heading back to my bag when Kai suddenly said, "Oh, and Ray…"

"Yeah?" I said, turning to face him.

"Thanks….I guess. For bringing me outta that." He was staring at the ground; he wasn't used to thanking people for anything. I was stunned. It must have been one hell of a bad dream if he was actually thanking me for getting him out of it. I just shrugged and said,

"It's alright. Any time…."

And we both went back to sleep. But this time, not even I heard Kai's nightmare continue.

(The next morning – Normal POV)

"GO, DRAGOON!"

"ATTACK, DRACIEL!"

Ray, Kai, Chief and Hilary sat and watched as Max and Tyson battled it out. Kai looked over at Ray. He didn't know why, but he felt strangely grateful towards the black haired boy. He couldn't even remember what his dreams the previous night had been about, but he somehow knew that Ray had woken him from something painful, and frightening. He was frustrated, he just knew those dreams were about his past, the past he'd somehow forgotten, the past he wanted back no matter how bad it was. A little had come back to him since the World Championships in Russia two years ago, but he couldn't piece any of it together. It was like trying to read a book with most of the pages missing, you almost understand the parts that are there, but there's huge and important parts missed out.

"EARTH TO KAI!"

He snapped out of his thoughts to see Tyson standing over him.

"Wow, what planet were you on there?" he said.

"Mars," Kai replied dryly, "you know, the one you come from?"

"Oh….HEY!" yelled Tyson when he realized that was meant as an insult.

"Cool it you two" laughed Max, "Kai, it's your turn to battle Ray!"

Kai picked up Dranzer and walked over to their make-shift Bey-dish, where Ray was already waiting.

(That night)

One by one the tired friends filed into the dojo and got ready for bed. Hilary had decided to sleep at her own house tonight, said that she'd forgotten what it felt like to sleep in a real bed.

"G' night Max." said Tyson, yawning.

"Night."

"Night Chief."

"Night."

"Night Ray."

"Night."

"Night Kai."

"Hn."

It was 3am. Everyone else was asleep, but Ray was lying awake, pondering over the previous night's events. Maybe he'd half fallen asleep or something and had dreamt the whole tunnel thing. Or maybe the whole thing had been a dream; after all, Kai hadn't mentioned anything about it all day. He decided not to worry too much about it. Then he heard it, the now slightly familiar sound of harsh breathing. He sat up quickly and looked at Kai. Sure enough, he was dreaming again and he looked in an even worse state than the night before. His arms lashed out at terrors that weren't really there and he was talking more, cursing and pleading. At first Ray was tempted to ignore it, but then he remembered what he had said last night.

"It's alright. Any time."

Any time. That included right now.

Just then, Kai let out a stifled cry. That helped make his mind up. He ran over to the terrified teen, called his name, began to shake him. Again, as soon as he made contact, everything blurred and the "getting sucked down a long tunnel" sensation returned. Only this time, Kai didn't wake up. A strong wind was whistling in Ray's ears now, and he felt like the whole world was spinning around him. He didn't know what to do, so he just shut his eyes tightly and hoped for the best.

After what seemed like forever, the spinning lessened slightly and he opened his eyes. Almost immediately afterwards, his feet slammed onto something solid. He landed so hard that his legs buckled under him and he fell heavily to his hands and knees. He knelt panting for a moment before forcing himself to his feet. His left knee was bleeding from his fall and his hands were a bit dirty, but apart from that he was fine. After wiping his hands on his PJs, he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a tiny, freezing cold room. He screwed up his face in disgust, it was dirty too. The floor was coated in grime and there appeared to be some kind of wet, green growth covering the walls. Cobwebs were everywhere and he could hear rats scurrying around in the shadows. It was almost completely dark; the only light came from a shaft of light that came from underneath a door on the wall farthest away from him. There wasn't even a window to shed any light on this miserable place. He wondered to himself what the room, if you could call it that, was used for. Storage maybe. Surely people didn't come in here…..

Just then the door opened and a man walked in. He was tall and intimidating, with purple hair and weird black goggles that made his eyes look red. Ray gasped as he recognised him. It was Boris Balcov, the second in command at Bio-Volt.

End chapter. DUM DUM DUM! Cliffy for you! Well…not really. Sorry if it's kinda short. So what does everyone think so far? Please review!


	2. All in the Past

Ok, I forgot to do a disclaimer on my last chapter, so I'm going to do one here for this chapter and ALL others too! I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE! Ok? So no suing. ^.^ I think this quite a long chapter.....don't forget to review!!!!!  
  
Chapter 2 : All in the Past  
  
Ray's thoughts were racing, and with more than a hint of panic. He was in Bio-Volt, but how? And what was Boris going to do when he saw a member from the beyblading team he hated the most standing right in front of him? There was no where to run, no where to hide, he had no choice but to just stand and wait. It was only a matter of time before he was noticed. But to his surprise, Boris walked right past him, as if he weren't there. Ray turned around in confusion, and watched to see what he was going to do. The older man was looking around with a severe expression on his face, but his thin lips twisted into an evil smile when his eyes rested on a quivering bundle of rags in a corner, which Ray could only assume was a person, a kid by the size of them. Boris advanced towards it slowly and menacingly, obviously enjoying the fear he was causing. Then without warning, he reached out and grabbed the small child by the hair and pulled hard, forcing them to look up into the eyes of their tormentor. Ray could now see that it was a boy of around 6, maybe 7. He looked strangely familiar, but he couldn't think where he'd seen him before.  
  
"You think you're the best, don't you? You little brat," Boris sneered, "Well, let me tell you now, you aren't, and you never will be, no matter what your grandfather thinks!"  
  
'Grandfather?' thought Ray, 'No, it wasn't possible....'  
  
When he got no reaction from the boy, apart from a few weak attempts to get free, he lost his temper and dealt him a hard blow to the stomach before throwing him across the cold stone floor. The boy didn't even cry out, it was almost as if he couldn't feel pain. But Boris had left the door open, and the boy was now lying in the pool of light that came from outside, so now Ray could see him properly. His jaw dropped.  
  
"Kai?!" he said incredulously. The boy didn't look up, but Ray knew it must be him. He looked almost exactly the same as the 15 year old Kai, just a lot smaller and minus the blue triangles. And also, Ray noted, the miniature version was covered from head to foot in bruises, scratched and some really nasty looking injuries. While Ray was still registering all of this in his astonished mind, Boris started on Kai again. He shoved his face into the filthy floor, only letting him breathe occasionally.  
  
"You have got a lot to learn, you little wretch," he hissed into Kai's ear, "but the first thing we'll have to teach you is gratitude. Don't you understand that this is all for your own good? Voltaire wants to make you the world's greatest blader, which I personally think you have no chance of becoming, and you refuse to do a simple training drill which is designed to HELP you!"  
  
"Help me?" Ray heard Kai mutter, "That's a laugh...."  
  
Boris heard it too.  
  
"Oh, trust me, I'll make sure you won't be laughing," he snarled as he grabbed Kai's neck and slammed him against the wall, He held him there by the neck, with one hand, the small boy's feet dangling a few feet off the ground.  
  
"Hey, leave him alone!" Ray yelled, but once again there was no response. He reached out to grab Boris's arm, but to his horror, he couldn't. His hand went right through, as if he were a ghost. He jerked his hand back like it had been burned. What was going on?  
  
"Is it possible that I'm actually in Kai's dream?" he thought. It sounded insane, but what other explanation was there? Maybe it was him who was dreaming. Or maybe this was all one big joke. Nah, Kai doesn't have much of a sense of humour. Well, he might, but like all his other emotions, he sure doesn't show it. He looked at Boris again, and saw that he was about to hit Kai again, in the face this time. He couldn't stand it any more, this was wrong!  
  
"KAI!" he cried out. To his surprise, the younger boy looked up immediately and seemed to see him there. The blow missed its target and hit Kai's shoulder instead. Boris was furious; he yanked Kai's head round to face him.  
  
"What were you looking at?" he spat.  
  
"Nothing! Not much scenery in here!" Kai snapped. Boris growled and punched him hard in the stomach.  
  
"Never, NEVER flinch away from a blow!" he yelled, "It is a sign of weakness!"  
  
"I was NOT flinching away!" the younger boy shouted back, "I'm not scared of you!  
  
"Well," said Boris, his face resuming its evil smile, "I'll just have to fix that."  
  
Without giving Kai time to respond, he reached into the small boy's pocket and pulled out a blue object. Ray couldn't see what it was, but Kai obviously could because he paled and stopped struggling.  
  
"Good boy," Boris gloated. He let go of Kai's neck and let him fall to the ground in a heap. Despite the pain the fall must have caused him, Kai was back on his feet a split second later, looking at Boris with hatred in his eyes. Ray was trying desperately to see what it was that gave Boris such control over the small boy. He then realized that if he couldn't be seen by anyone, and he assumed that he couldn't, then there was no harm in him going closer. He did, and saw what Boris had taken from his friend. He clenched his fists in anger, it was Dranzer, the one thing in the whole world this younger Kai cared about, the one thing he could call his own. Ray looked at Kai then, and saw that the smaller boy was looking straight at him, watching him almost fearfully. He jumped, wondering how Kai could see him when Boris obviously couldn't. The young boy was regarding him with suspicion now. Ray tried to smile reassuringly and put a finger to his lips, signalling to Kai to not mention his presence to Boris. He nodded ever so slightly before turning back to face Boris again.  
  
"Now," the man smirked, "you know as well as I do that I do that I can crush your pathetic little canary. Just. Like. That." He emphasized the last three words. Ray could see that Kai's blood was boiling at his bit beast being called a canary, but he just stood there silently, his gaze never leaving his Beyblade, which Boris was now tossing into the air and catching nonchalantly, taunting him, daring him to take back what was really his. It was evident that Boris had played this 'game' often before so Kai knew the drill. But to Boris, that took the fun out of it. So he decided to take it a bit further this time.  
  
Kai's eyes widened as Boris removed Dranzer's bit chip from its Beyblade and dropped it onto the floor. The boy immediately made a grab for it, but was kicked to one side. Ray winced as he heard the crack; Boris had kicked the small boy hard in the ribs. Boris put his foot over the bit, his smile widening slightly when he saw the realisation that one wrong move could destroy Dranzer forever cross Kai's face. Ray had never felt so helpless, he tried to grab Boris again, but the same thing happened as before. He began to wonder if he had died and was a ghost, but tried not to think about that possibility.  
  
"Unless you want your pretty little bird to have its wings clipped, I suggest you do as I say!" said Boris, his eyes boring straight into Kai's.  
  
"No," Kai choked, "please, don't hurt Dranzer!"  
  
"You'll have to beg if you want me to spare it!" he mocked.  
  
"SHE," said Kai furiously, "she's a girl, not an it."  
  
"Well SHE'LL be dust in a moment unless you do as I say!" was the retort from Boris. Kai began to tremble from his place on the floor, his face confused. He didn't know about this 'game', Boris had never come this close to actually hurting his bit beast before. He was frightened too, whether he would admit it or not. Not for himself, but for Dranzer. Ray was amazed at how loyal he was to his bit beast.  
  
"Come on," said Boris, "beg me not to hurt your precious pigeon!"  
  
Kai's pale grey eyes flashed angrily, but still he said nothing. Boris frowned.  
  
"Come on," he said coldly, increasing his foot's pressure on Dranzer threateningly. Kai tried and failed to suppress a cry of pain, if a person's sacred spirit was hurt, the person felt the pain too.  
  
"No....please...." the small boy whispered. He had meant to say it louder, but his ribs ached where Boris had kicked him and breathing was becoming increasingly hard. Boris was about to speak again, when another voice came from the open door.  
  
"That'll be enough for now Boris," said a very tall, grey haired man.  
  
"Yes, Voltaire, of course," Boris muttered as ha and Kai's so-called grandfather left the room. Ray listened to their retreating footsteps. Voltaire was saying,  
  
"Don't be too harsh on the boy, we need him alive if he's going to become our strongest blader. By all means hurt him, make sure he knows what real pain is, but don't leave too many scars, if you know what I mean."  
  
Ray felt disgusted. That was all his grandson was to him, another weapon he could use for his own benefit. He waited till the two men were definitely out of earshot, then he ran over to Kai, who was kneeling on the floor clutching his probably broken ribs, his breathing coming in short, sharp gasps.  
  
"Hey, you ok?" he asked the younger boy, his eyes full of concern.  
  
"Do I look it?" said Kai, with a weak laugh.  
  
"Is that a 'no' then?" Ray said, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm fine," Kai answered, wondering why this person he'd never met before was asking, "I've had worse." He tried to stand up, but stopped short, grimacing in pain.  
  
"Whoa, take it easy," Ray said gently, trying to stop the younger boy from moving too much. For some reason he didn't go through Kai, but nothing was surprising him now.  
  
"I'm fine...." Kai protested stubbornly, but Ray managed to push him down and made him sit against the wall. He smiled to himself; that had sounded just like the Kai he knew. Suddenly the little colour he had drained from Kai's face and he leapt to his feet.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Dranzer! Where's Dranzer? Is she ok?" Kai said frantically, looking around.  
  
Eventually he found the bit chip on the floor and picked it up, stroking the phoenix's picture with his finger. He then recovered his beyblade and clicked the bit back into place. He sat down again, being careful to keep a safe distance between him and Ray. A long silence followed. After a while it was Kai who broke it.  
  
"Um....who are you?" he asked timidly. Ray realised with a jolt that Kai obviously wouldn't know who he was; they didn't meet till they were around 13. Wow, being in the past, or where ever he was, was incredibly confusing.  
  
"I'm, uh, a friend, I guess. My name's Ray." Ha said.  
  
"Are you a.....ghost or something?"  
  
"Huh? What makes you think that?"  
  
"I saw your hand go right through Boris's arm!"  
  
"Oh yeah. I'm not that sure what's going on here either, I don't even know how I got here. But I'm not a ghost. At least, I don't think I am."  
  
"How did you know my name?"  
  
'Uh oh,' Ray thought, 'how do I answer this one?'  
  
"I guess I just heard it in passing," he said in what he hoped was a convincing voice.  
  
"No one's called me by my name in ages."  
  
"What? Why not?"  
  
"I dunno. They say I'm not good enough to have my own name."  
  
Ray stared at him in disbelief. It was bad enough that Bio-Volt made sure that the kids there had no belongings, no dignity, no emotions even, but to rob them of an identity, that was just sad.  
  
"What do they call you then?" he asked softly. Kai's head snapped up, his face full of renewed suspicion. Why was he asking so many questions? Kai usually hated being asked a lot of questions, probably because more often than not he was having answers forced out of him by scary looking people who were trying to prove he'd don't something wrong, rather than someone asking because they were actually interested.  
  
"You heard Boris," he said with a shrug.  
  
Ray shook his head, he had heard Boris alright. Brat, wretch. That was what he had called Kai. And the punches spoke for themselves. What was it Kai had said? He'd had worse? If that was true, Ray was surprised he'd survived to meet him at 13.  
  
"I won't call you those names," he said, putting a comforting hand on the small boy's shoulder. Kai stiffened at the touch. He had never known kindness, to him if someone was going to make physical contact with you, it was going to be painful. He eyed the black haired teen warily, ready to dodge a blow. But none came. He was confused now, what did this guy want with him? He's said he was a friend. Well that was a new word to Kai, you never had friends or got to know anyone in Bio-Volt.  
  
"What's 'friend' mean?" he asked suddenly, looking Ray properly in the eye for the first time. Ray looked back at him to see if he was joking, but there was only honest curiosity on the boy's face. He hesitated, friend was one of those words you understood but never could explain.  
  
"A friend is....someone you care about, I guess. And they care about you too. Yeah, someone you like and you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, and you trust them. And.....they're the same about you."  
  
He knew it was a pretty crappy explanation, but it was all he could think of. Kai was pondering over it, then he said:  
  
"Like Dranzer?" Ray didn't even have to ask what he meant. He just smiled and said, "Yeah. Just like you and your Dranzer."  
  
Kai gazed at him for a moment; not many people had ever smiled at him. Except those people with their false grins, who had turned on him as soon as he had trusted them. He shuddered at the memories and shrank away from Ray slightly, thinking maybe he was the same, maybe he would end up hurting him too. Ray's smile gave way to a worried look and he removed his hand from the younger boy's shoulder.  
  
"What's up?" he asked. Kai's grey eyes watched him carefully for a while, then he blurted out, "Just do it and get it over with! I don't fall for these games any more!" Ray was dumbfounded.  
  
"What are you talking about Kai?" he said gently. He didn't know why the boy had got so scared and mistrustful all of a sudden.  
  
"You're gonna hit me, just like the rest did," he muttered, "I know you are..." He pulled his knees up to his chest and put his arms protectively around his head. Ray shook his head, completely at a loss. He had always thought that Kai was just anti-social, not scared to get to know people. As he looked at the much younger version of his friend, he knew that Kai had been put through things that no kid should.  
  
"You're gonna hit me, just like the rest did."  
  
He didn't know who "the rest" were, but he felt that he had to prove to Kai that he wasn't like them. He took hold of the smaller boy's wrists and gently pulled his hands away from his face. Kai looked up, surprised.  
  
"I'm not too sure what you mean Kai, but I don't do stuff like that. I won't hurt you, I promise." Said Ray, looking the small boy straight in the eye. Kai looked back evenly. He didn't know why, but despite all that had happened to him, he felt he could trust Ray. He wanted to trust him. He just wasn't sure if he could trust anybody anymore.  
  
They sat in silence for a long time, Ray was beginning to wonder if his absence had been noticed back in his own time, own place, whatever. He looked down at Kai and saw that the small boy's eyelids were drooping, but he seemed reluctant to fall asleep. He squeezed his hand and said, "Relax, will you? You don't have to be so scared."  
  
Kai glared at him and said, "I am NOT scared."  
  
"Nervous, then."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Whatever!" Ray laughed at how proud Kai had been even at this age. He put one arm around the boy's shoulders, (A/N – in a FRIENDLY way!!!), surprised at how thin he was. Kai tensed for a moment, but didn't push him off.  
  
"Well, it's an improvement," Ray thought.  
  
After a while he must have dozed off because he opened his eyes and he just had the feeling that a lot of time had past since he had last opened them. He wondered if he was back in his sleeping bag in the dojo, if the crazy dream was over. But no, he was still sitting against the wall in the freezing cold room. He glanced at Kai and saw that he had fallen asleep. To his surprise, the younger boy's head was resting on his shoulder. He smiled sadly, in the darkness Kai looked just like any other kid while asleep; you couldn't see the injuries he had and his face was peaceful. After a while, he fell asleep too.  
  
The next time he woke up it was still dark, but it looked like it might be getting bright soon. He sat up and looked around. Yes, this time he was back in the dojo.  
  
"What a weird dream," he thought. He looked at his watch. It read 3:02am. Strange, it had seemed a lot longer in the dream. Oh well, he didn't suppose there was any sense of time in dreams anyway. He wasn't tired any more, so he got up. His knee hurt. He looked down and saw it was grazed. But that was impossible, he had grazed his knee in......  
  
Maybe it had been more than just a dream.  
  
How you all like it? Any good? Plz review!!! ^__^ 


	3. Going Back

Ok, I thought I just had to say this now: There are not going to be any pairings in this fic!!!! So if you don't like, don't read. But if you do, plz R&R!!! (I think this is another long chap....but plz read!! ^_^)  
  
Chapter 3 – Going Back  
  
Ray's POV I couldn't concentrate on training at all today. I got a lecture from Chief and another from Hilary about not trying, getting sloppy, bla bla bla. Even Kai asked if I was feeling alright. Ok, I must have looked distant, but wouldn't you if you'd just stepped back about 8 years and seen your team captain when he was about 3 feet tall? I think I've concluded that it was no dream; the cut on my knee confirms that. I thought at first that maybe I had been sleep-walking and that was how I had got the graze, but I don't sleep walk and anyway, it wasn't exactly a walking dream. You'd think Kai would have said something, after all it was his past I got landed in so he must know something. Then again, Kai doesn't say much does he? And no way am I asking him. How good is that going to sound?  
  
"Oh, hey Kai, just wondering if I suddenly popped up in your memories last night? No? Oh, that's ok then. Yes, you're right, I must just be mentally unstable or something." (A/N – NO, he didn't say that out loud!)  
  
Nah, I would end up in a mental asylum or something. All I knew was, if I had the chance to go back again, I would. I wanted to help Kai. We all try to help him here and now, but he just pushes us away. Maybe if I help mini- Kai to trust the right people, he'd be different now. I have no idea what's going on, but if the same thing happens tonight then it's definitely real. No one has the same dream three nights in a row.  
  
*That night*  
  
"GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!!!" Max practically yelled. Yes, he was on a sugar high. I sighed, if he didn't shut up soon I was going to have to stuff my ears with cotton wool. Or even better, stuff the cotton wool down his throat. After a while we managed to calm Max down enough to make him go lie down quietly, so that the rest of us could get some rest.  
  
"Maybe we should give him coffee or something before bed," Chief said, "that's meant to make you go to sleep."  
  
"No, Chief, coffee keeps you awake! And then he'd end up with a caffeine high in the morning!" Tyson laughed.  
  
"Yeah," I agreed, "We'll just put sleeping pills in his candy jar. That'll knock him out for a while."  
  
Eventually we were all in our own sleeping bags, even Max. After a while the sugar wore off and he was left with a splitting head-ache from when he jumped up and hit the ceiling. Once again, everyone else fell asleep except from me. I didn't even feel tired; I just wanted to know the truth. I lay there for a while until I was sure that no one would here me get up. I got silently to my feet and went over to Kai. He was dreaming again, a bad dream by the looks of it, but a different type of bad dream. He didn't look so scared, just angry. I shook my head, trying not to think about how totally crazy this was, and put my hand on Kai's arm. Once again, the wind whistled, my vision blurred and everything started to spin. I just closed my eyes again, calmly this time. I knew, or thought I knew, where I was going.  
  
The landing was less painful this time and I managed to stay on my feet. When everything finally stood still again I opened my eyes. Yeah, I was definitely in the same room as before. Thankfully, Boris wasn't here this time. I looked around for Kai. Eventually I spotted him sitting against the wall, watching me.  
  
"Hi!" I said, smiling.  
  
"You....came back." He said, looking surprised.  
  
"Of course I did!" I said; amused at how wide his eyes were.  
  
"I was starting to think I'd dreamed you being here," he confessed. He was staring hard at me, almost as though he half expected me to vanish into thin air. It was only then I realized how weird this must be for him, a complete stranger literally appearing out of no where. I went and sat down next to him. He inched away slightly. I sighed; this wasn't going to be easy. I felt like I was starting all over again Last time I was here I had felt like I had been getting through to him, now he was all suspicious again.  
  
"Nope, no dream. I'm as real as you are," I said, trying to sound cheerful. Then I saw he was cradling his left arm in his right, and was trying in vain to bandage up a really bad cut on it with some rags.  
  
"Whoa, hold up," I said, alarmed, "Lemme see that." He looked really scared when I said that, and I could feel him trembling when I carefully took the injured arm in my hands and examined it. I couldn't understand why, maybe he had memories of people saying that to him before and then they had deliberately made the injury worse or something.  
  
"It's ok," I said in a softer voice, "I promised you last time I was here that I wouldn't hurt you."  
  
"Like you could..." he mumbled, but he knew as well as I did that if I wanted to, I could.  
  
He seemed to have calmed down a little, so I went back to examining his arm. I shook my head, it was pretty bad. The wound ran quite deep and there was a lot of blood. And all he had to heal it with were a few measly rags. Oh well, might as well make the best of what's here. I took the 'bandages' from his other hand and began to bandage the wound as best I could. When I was done, I found Kai was staring at me looking totally confused. He looked down at his bandaged arm, then back at me again.  
  
"Wh-Why did you do that?" he asked shakily.  
  
"Because I'm your friend," I said simply. I decided not to ask how the injury had come to be. He cocked his head to one side as if he was thinking hard about what I had just said. I swear he had never looked so cute. Yes, hard as it may be to believe, he was pretty cute when he was little. He could've made a killing posing for greeting cards or something. But no, he gets stuck in some evil training place disguised as an abbey in Russia. Speaking of Russia, was it always this cold in here? I laid a hand on Kai's arm and found that he was freezing cold. Which was no surprise really, he didn't even have a jacket. He was wearing a navy blue tank top, dark grey baggy trousers and very worn looking trainers. All his clothes were pretty ragged and obviously didn't provide much warmth. I put an arm round his shoulders like I had the night before, trying to warm him up a bit. This time he hardly tensed at all, but instead moved a little closer. I was a bit surprised, but pleased. At least he wasn't terrified of me any more.  
  
"Are you gonna go away again tonight?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I think so. I don't really know how I get to and from here."  
  
"When are you gonna come back?"  
  
"As soon as I can....Tomorrow night maybe. Why? Do you want me to come back?"  
  
He paused before saying quite simply, "Yes."  
  
I can tell you, I was pretty surprised at that. I mean, we always get straight one-word answers from Kai, but rarely positive ones.  
  
"Well, I'll try to come back tomorrow," I told him.  
  
"Promise?" he said. He was staring at the floor now, looking like he couldn't believe what he'd just said.  
  
"I promise I'll try," I answered with a smile. I thought I saw him smile slightly too, just before he fell asleep. After a while I fell asleep too.  
  
When I woke up, I knew I was back in my own time.  
  
*Next day *  
  
I surprised everyone today. I suppose they all thought I would still be all wandered-looking. But nope, today I won every training battle we had, except my one against Kai. I tried to convince myself that it was just because he'd been practicing more and I usually lost or tied with him anyway, but I knew that I hadn't been trying my hardest. I felt like I was fighting little 7 year old Kai and not my team captain. Thankfully, no one noticed my hesitation, and if they had they didn't mention it. I just wished that night would come faster; I actually looked forward to going back again. Training made the time go faster. So I trained.  
  
*When night finally came....*  
  
(A/N-I won't go into how he got back this time, I'm pretty sure you get it by now.)  
  
The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in the same room. I was in a corridor of some sort, all stainless steel from floor to ceiling. I couldn't see anyone else, not even Kai. This worried me, was something wrong? Then I heard a noise from above my head. I looked up, but saw nothing. I was sure I had heard something. There was an air-duct in the ceiling, and suddenly I saw a shadow pass over it. Someone was in the air- ducts? I decided to follow whoever it was. It wasn't easy, the only means I had of guessing where they were was by the sounds, and whoever it was was going as quietly as they could. Luckily, I have sharper hearing than most people. I went on for a while, the person in the air-ducts above my head, me walking along the corridor. Eventually I came to a door set in a wall made of steel. There was no window or anything in it so I had no idea what was on the other side. I didn't even bother to try the handle, it was obviously locked. There was a button pad next to the door frame, probably to enter a security password on. I glanced up. Apparently, there was nothing blocking the air-ducts, because the person had gone on. I was just thinking about what I should do, when I remembered what had happened the first night I had came. I had gone through Boris's arm.  
  
Slowly, I reached out to touch the door. My hand slid through it easily, as if it were made of butter or something. I pulled my hand back out, it didn't look any different. Taking a deep breath, I walked straight at the door. It felt really weird walking through it. When I was sure I was all the way through, I looked down at myself. Yes, I was still all in one piece. I looked up and surveyed my surroundings. I was in some kind of giant glass dome that was obviously up to protect something. I looked around for the person I had been following. Finally I spotted them; they were carefully making their way down the side of the dome. They stopped about half-way down, and pulled out a Beyblade. I was shocked when they launched it straight at the glass, causing a part of it to shatter. The Beyblade shot right through and continued to spin just a few feet away from me. I recognised it immediately, it was Dranzer. Not wanting to believe it, I looked at the person who had launched it, who had now nimbly jumped through the hole. There was no mistaking it, it was Kai. I felt my blood run cold, either he was doing some insane training drill or he was up to something. Completely ignoring me and Dranzer, he walked towards something that I couldn't quite make out.  
  
"Kai!" I called to him. He didn't seem to hear me at all. Something wasn't right with his eyes and it was starting to scare me. He looked almost like all the other Demolition Boys had at the World Championships, totally devoid of emotions and focused on one task, blocking everything else out. He went over to what looked like a short pillar, smaller than him, with something on top. It took me a second to realise that it was a Beyblade. He took it off the pillar and fitted it to his launcher.  
  
"Finally, you're mine!" he whispered before launching it. I could see it properly now, it was black. But it was only when the huge black-red phoenix rose out of the bit chip that I realized what was happening.  
  
"Black Dranzer!" I gasped.  
  
The bit-beast was completely out of control, and Kai was making no attempt to command it. He seemed to have snapped out of his trance-like state and didn't appear to have much idea as to what was going on. But when he saw the gigantic phoenix looming above him, a horrified realization crossed his face and he cried out slightly. Black Dranzer wasted no time; it began to fire balls of dark energy and fire everywhere while screeching its terrifying cry. The whole glass dome exploded into a million pieces, and it was only when the bits of splintered glass began raining down on me that I realized what danger we were in. I quickly grabbed Dranzer and ran over to Kai. He didn't seem to see me or hear me when I yelled out. Suddenly, huge chunks of the concrete and metal ceiling above where the dome had been began to crumble and fall. I grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him out of the way just before a huge slab crashed to the ground right where he had been standing. Now he finally seemed to see me there, but his eyes seemed glazed, probably because he couldn't believe what he'd just done. I tried to locate a safe place where we could take shelter from the downpour of glass, steel and concrete. Eventually I spotted a place where two huge ceiling tiles had fallen against each other and left an adequately large triangular space between them. It was no Anderson shelter, but it was better than standing around here. I began to run towards it, having to practically drag Kai who seemed to be paralyzed with fear or shock. Finally we were both safely in the gap. I just hoped that nothing too heavy fell on top of our make-shift shelter. Black Dranzer was showing no sign of ceasing its rampage, so I decided just to sit tight. I turned to Kai; he was watching the dark phoenix with wide eyes. When he noticed me looking at him, he curled himself into a ball and stared at the floor.  
  
"What happened out there Kai?" I asked. He didn't respond.  
  
"I told you I would try and come back tonight! Why didn't you wait for me?" As soon as I had said this, I knew I had hit something. His head snapped up and he glared at me.  
  
"No!" he said furiously, "you didn't say you would come back tonight! You said that you would try and come back weeks ago, but you never came. So I thought, 'well, he said that he would try to come, maybe something stopped him from coming' and I kept waiting. But you didn't come! Then I knew that you were just like all of them, always lying, lying LYING!!!"  
  
He was on his feet now, his silver eyes piercing into me. I felt myself pale slightly, and for more than one reason. For one thing, how could it have been weeks since I last saw him? It had been last night! I once heard that time seems to drag on more for little kids than it does for older people, but not that much! And also, there was more light in here than in the 'dungeon room' so I could see him better. He was pale, almost as white as a sheet, and I wondered how often he saw the light of day. His silvery eyes seemed unnaturally large, probably because he had to be able to see in the dark, and they stood out from his angular face like diamonds or something. The other things that stood out from his face were the cuts. He looked like he'd got into a fight with something with extremely large claws; he was practically a jigsaw of gashes and bruises all over. And although I knew fine well that he was surprisingly strong for his age, he appeared thin and almost delicate looking. The overall effect was almost ghost-like. There was just something about him that made you want to help him, so I couldn't understand how everyone here could get so much enjoyment out of kicking the living daylights out of him.  
  
When I didn't answer him he sat back down again, burying his head in his knees. I tried to talk to him, to do my best to explain, but it was as if he had completely blocked me out, he was numb to my presence. Suddenly, the clamour outside quietened slightly and I looked out and saw that Boris and around five security guards had arrived and were attempting to restrain Black Dranzer. I knew that if Kai got caught here he would be in a lot of trouble, so I tried to get him to make an escape while Boris was distracted. He still wouldn't listen though; he was incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be. So eventually he was found, and dragged back to his 'room' by a very angry Boris. I didn't know how harsh Kai's punishment was going to be, but when I saw Boris come back holding a three-tailed whip, I knew it was going to be painful.  
  
Well, was it any good ppl? Plz review and tell me what you think!!!! ^__^ 


	4. Melting the Ice

Hello all. I'm happy – 10 reviews now!!! And trust me, that is good, for me at least. Anyhoo... here's chapter 4. Hope y'all like it. Plz review ^_^  
  
Chapter 4 – Melting the Ice  
  
Ray's POV  
  
I winced every time I heard the whip meet its mark. More than once I put myself between Kai and Boris, but the whip passed through me harmlessly and hit the small boy anyway. I hated feeling this helpless; I wouldn't have minded if it was me who was being hit as long as I knew I was protecting Kai. All I could do was sit next to where Kai was hunched on the floor, taking the blows without complaint, and tell him I was sorry, how everything was going to be ok. He didn't react at all to my talking, just stared fixedly at the floor with his teeth gritted and his grey eyes full of suppressed pain. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't go through Kai, so maybe if.....  
  
I thought about it. It just might work.  
  
I knew it was crazy, but it was worth a try. I put my hand on Kai's arm, feeling relieved that it didn't go through, then I stuck my arm out just as the whip came lashing down. I shut my eyes tight as I felt the searing pain, apparently, my plan had worked. As long as I made physical contact with Kai, I was solid. I just hoped I wasn't visible too. Again and again the whip came down, and I did my best to block it. A few times I missed, but I took the worst of the blows. When Boris was finally finished he kicked Kai in the stomach just for good measure and stalked out. We were silent for a while, while we both looked at our wounds. Mine weren't too bad, but my arm was going to sting for a while. I really had thought I would be worse off than Kai, but I guess when you're in someone else's dream you don't get injured too heavily. The only thing that annoyed me was that one of the lashes had caught me across the face and now there was a red line scored across my cheek. Unless a miracle occurred and it was gone by morning, everyone was going to be asking me what happened. Great, now I'll have to think of some lie to tell them. I turned to Kai and saw that I obviously hadn't stepped in to help quick enough, he was hurt pretty badly. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course. I thought it better just to leave him alone for a while, especially since the little trust he'd had in me had been obliterated. I was still wondering how it could've been one day for me, yet weeks and weeks for him. It was probably better I didn't ask, I would only get confused. I was totally lost in my own thoughts, when I suddenly realised Kai was talking to me.  
  
"Oh, eh, what?" I said, jumping. He glared.  
  
"I said, you make no sense to me," he repeated.  
  
"In what way?" I asked.  
  
"Well, unless I'm wrong, you just stuck your arm out to stop Boris from hitting me with the whip, right?"  
  
"Uh huhhhh...?"  
  
"Well....why? What was the point?" he questioned.  
  
"Do I seriously have to answer that, or are you joking?" I asked. When he only glared more darkly at me I decided that he preferred not to joke in this time either.  
  
"It was just the right thing to do. Wouldn't you do that for someone?" I said, trying to keep a cool head.  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"But...if you saw someone being hurt and you could help them, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Dunno," he repeated, staring fixedly at the wall in front of him.  
  
"Ok, maybe I wouldn't do it every day for just anybody. But when it's someone you know and someone you actually care about, it doesn't matter whether you get hurt or not, you just want to defend them."  
  
"Well, there you go then. I don't really care for anybody so I wouldn't know all that."  
  
"But you should! It isn't normal that you don't know!"  
  
"I never knew any different, so it's normal for me."  
  
I felt tears pricking my eyes and I had absolutely no idea why. If someone had been talking to me the way I was talking to Kai when I was that age, I would've just accepted what they were saying because I knew about these things, and took it for granted that everyone did. I never thought that some kids never knew that stuff. In the stories that children are told, it always said that the character who is mistreated and lonely wants a friend more than anything else, but what if that person never even knew what a friend was?  
  
"Whatcha crying for?" Kai asked, his expression softening slightly.  
  
"What? Oh, nothing," I hadn't realized that the tears had dropped. I wiped them away hastily; I was supposed to be the strong one here.  
  
After a rather awkward silence I said, "Ok, try and tell me it from your point of view." To my surprise, he didn't even have to ask what I meant.  
  
"There's not much to tell," he said sullenly.  
  
"Well, I'm listening anyway."  
  
"Alright, fine! I think, what's the point in you saving me from one beating when I'm only going to get another one later, then another one before tomorrow, and I'll lose count before tomorrow's over. There isn't any point!"  
  
He didn't speak how you would expect a 6 year-old to, he sounded so much older.  
  
"Doesn't one less beating make any difference to you?"  
  
"Not really, no."  
  
"Well then. We'll just have to make it more than one less, won't we?"  
  
He looked at me and shook his head.  
  
"It doesn't make much difference. I'm used to it by now."  
  
"But you shouldn't be..." I murmured, shaking my head. In the future I had sometimes wondered what Kai had been like in Bio-Volt, but I had never expected him to think like this. Even though his thinking was painfully logical. What difference would one less beating make, when they were just a regular part of his life?  
  
"Stop telling me what I should and shouldn't be!" he almost shouted, "I'm sick of people trying to change me!"  
  
"I don't want to change you. I don't want you to be anyone but yourself," I answered, "I just wish you were happy."  
  
He turned his back to me, and I could hear his mutterings of, "Why? Why do you care? You don't even know me..."  
  
If he only knew how untrue that was.  
  
*Next day - STILL Ray's POV*  
  
We took a break from training today. I don't even know what we're training for, the World Championships are over and there are no upcoming tournaments. I guess we just want to be prepared; we don't want to be caught off-guard like we were with the Saint-Shields. We spent practically the whole day at the park. Hilary and Chief both packed picnic baskets and brought loads of cooking stuff, half of which we didn't even need. Tyson got into the occasional beybattle with some kids, but apart from that we didn't take up our blades all day. Max and Tyson joined in a friendly game of soccer with some other boys and Hilary met some girls from her school to talk to. Chief just sat on Dizzi the whole time and Kai was only there for about ten minutes before he wandered off, so I was left to think. I'd been thinking a lot lately, Tyson was starting to say that I was becoming like a second Kai because I had been keeping so quiet. I knew they hadn't believed me when I said that I must have just scratched my face in the middle of the night by accident, but they hadn't pushed the subject. I think they might have if Kai hadn't ordered everyone to shut up. He's been on the edge lately, I wonder what's wrong. As far as I can see, he doesn't have any idea that I've been in his dreams, memories, whatever they are. I asked him this morning, trying to sound like I was just making conversation, if he'd had any more dreams lately. He answered yes, he had, but he could never remember what happened in them when he woke up. I didn't ask any more, because just then Tyson and the others had come barging in to the kitchen and I had a feeling that I would be in trouble if I started talking to Kai about his dreams in front of them.  
  
"RAY?!"  
  
Whoops, looks like I'd better get back to the real world.  
  
"Dude, you looked as spaced out as Kai's been looking lately. Is something wrong?" It was Max.  
  
"Nah. What's up?" I answered carelessly.  
  
"We need an extra player. Wanna join in?"  
  
"Sure, why not," I said, deciding to put my thoughts of dreams and so on to the back of my head. For now anyway.  
  
*That night* (days sure do pass quickly in this fic, don't they?)  
  
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!" Max and Tyson yelled in unison. I sweatdropped, I thought they were taking their 1-0 victory over the opposing team a bit far. Most of the players on the other team had been smaller than them anyway, but no, they would never pass up a chance to gloat. I sighed and turned to the dojo, as the overly happy pair made their way to the kitchen to make a celebration feast. But by the looks of it, they were going to be the only people celebrating, because I was going to bed. When I entered the dojo, I saw to my surprise that Kai was back already and appeared to be sleeping. I smiled to myself and thought, 'Why wait till later? Why not just go now?'  
  
And I did.  
  
The next few times I went back, I was always in the tiny dungeon room with Kai, occasionally Boris would be there too but he left quickly enough. Kai was always quiet and sullen, never really answering me or even looking at me. I knew he would never admit it, but he was probably scared to do so. Sometimes when Boris was there he would be hurting Kai, and I would take my share of the blows. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, but one night after a particularly harsh beating, Kai thanked me quietly for helping. It wasn't much, just a mumbled 'Thanks...' but it was a start. After a while I started to ask him about himself, who his parents were etc. He got a bit worked up, and blurted out, "Why should I tell you? I don't know anything about you!" I had laughed, much to his surprise, but not in a mocking way. I said that I didn't know anything about him either, so someone had to start talking or we would never get anywhere. He had stared at me curiously, and I couldn't help but laugh again, he looked so cute. I agreed to 'start' so I told him as much as I could about myself without giving away that I knew him in the future. I didn't say that I came from the future, of course. I told him about the village in China that I had lived in when I was around his age, about all my friends there, Lee and Mariah and the others, and just about what life had been like there. Though he never showed his interest, I could tell that he liked me talking by the way he looked up if I paused or stopped, and more than once he opened his mouth to speak or ask a question, then quickly shut it again. Once I had looked at him expectantly to try and get him to say whatever it was he had been going to say, but he had flushed slightly and stared at the ground. I think maybe it was almost a comfort to him to just hear another person's voice, one that wasn't harsh and cold, and occasionally if I put a hand on his shoulder or something, for another person to touch him without it being painful. Sometimes he would still get angry and turn away, and a few times actually tried to hit me before realizing just what he was doing and looking away shamefacedly. I learnt to be careful with him, and tell him that I wasn't angry. And through all of this, a kind of fragile bond seemed to be building. I felt as if I was melting the protective walls of ice he had set up around himself. But it wasn't until one particular night that this delicate beginning of a friendship was put to the test.  
  
I had just arrived as normal, (if you can call it that), to find Kai sitting at his usual place against the wall. He gave me a weak half-smile in greeting. I grinned and went and sat down next to him. It didn't take me long to notice that something was up. He seemed agitated, and kept looking around in an almost nervous way. After a while he got up and went over to the door, and peered through what must have been a keyhole, as if he was waiting impatiently for something.  
  
"Kai?" I said. He didn't answer.  
  
"What are you looking for?" I asked carefully.  
  
"Nothing," he answered, his voice shaking slightly.  
  
"You're looking for something because you're staring into that keyhole as if all the answers are on the other side. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing!" he practically choked. He turned to go and sit down again, but I stood up and stopped him.  
  
"Kai, tell me what's wrong," I said in a gentle but firm voice, putting my hands on his shoulders. He immediately tried to push them away, but I knew that was just instinct to him now and didn't take it personally.  
  
"Please, Kai," I said softly.  
  
"Leamme alone," he mumbled half-heartedly.  
  
"No," I said, "I want you to tell me what's wrong."  
  
His struggling arms went limp and he bowed his head, his slate grey hair shadowing his eyes. I knelt down in front of him and waited for him to speak. He shook his head numbly and tried to say something, but the words caught in his throat and he fell silent. I felt sorry for him and gave him a hug without thinking. To my surprise he didn't shove me away, but instead buried his face in my shoulder. I stroked his back comfortingly and asked him again to tell me what was wrong.  
  
"Dranzer," he mumbled, "they...took Dranzer."  
  
I felt my blood run cold. I remembered when the BladeBreakers had been in Russia we had discovered that Bio-Volt did experiments on bit-beasts. Not pleasant experiments either. There was a distant voice at the back of my head telling me not to worry, that because the Kai in my time still had Dranzer nothing too bad could happen here. But I dismissed this, I didn't care about complicated time-travel logic, this was happening here and now and Dranzer could be in danger. But more to the point, there was a six year- old kid here who needed comfort. I led him back over to the wall and we both sat there in silence, me with one arm round him, trying to comfort him. After a while he gave a small cry.  
  
"What is it?" I asked worriedly.  
  
"They're hurting her," he whispered hoarsely, "I can feel it..."  
  
I cursed Bio-Volt under my breath; I had forgotten that if Dranzer was hurt, Kai would be too. Then, totally out of the blue, an idea struck me.  
  
"Your Dranzer'll be fine," I said with a confidence that I didn't really feel.  
  
"How'd you know?" he asked miserably.  
  
I smiled and told him some of the stories I had heard when I was little, about the 4 sacred bit-beasts Dragoon, Driger, Draciel and Dranzer. I tried not to laugh when I saw the stunned look on Kai's face; he had never heard anything like this before in his life. I made sure to mostly tell the ones about Dranzer, about all the things the phoenix had overcome. He struggled to appear uninterested, but eventually gave up and listened with a kind of open-mouthed fascination that I couldn't help but laugh at.  
  
"What?" he said.  
  
"You should see the look on your face!" I said, but not in an unkind way. But still he frowned and went in a huff. Unfortunately for him, this only made me laugh harder.  
  
"Come on, don't grump on me!" I said, ruffling his hair. He didn't bristle at the contact at all, whether he would ever admit it was debatable, but he did trust me now. I was actually starting to think of him almost as a little brother, which was insane since he was really the same age as me and a good few inches taller. Oh well, I didn't care.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Boris tossed Kai's Beyblade inside. Kai jumped up and snatched it out of the air before he could hit the ground. He glared daggers at Boris's back before coming and sitting back down. I yawned, we were both tired now that the crisis was over. I feel a bit guilty, I think I fell asleep before he did and left him in there alone. But still, he wasn't really alone. He has his phoenix.  
  
Alright, I am sorry for the crap chapter. The next one will be better. If it isn't it won't be going up!!! Please review!!!! 


	5. Friendships

Before I get started, I would like to thank the following people:  
  
Devlinn Reiko-sama – Thanks so much for reviewing so many times, and for being my first reviewer ever!!!! And also for having me on your author alert list!!!! Hope you like the new chapter!  
  
Wild-Roze – Lol, I'm not sure what the 'wow' was about, but anyway thanks loads!! And thanks for putting me on your favourites list, I never thought anyone would!  
  
Pyro Inu – I'm glad you seem to like this so much, thanks for the reviews! Here's the new chapter you wanted!  
  
Moon Comix – Thanks for reviewing, email me soon, k? Unless...is it me who's meant to be emailing you? Hm....  
  
DragonPhoenix77 – ooooook, you said update, so I did!!! Thanks for adding me to your author alerts and favourite authors lists!  
  
Emerald-Eyes90 – Thanks for putting me on your favourites list, I think you're on mine too! If you aren't, I promise I'll add you. And thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Centari-moon – sorry that you had to wait after you said you couldn't, but here's another chap now. Thanks for the review!  
  
There are other people too, but I don't want to take up too much space...so a big thank you to all my reviewers!!!! ^_^  
  
Right, ok, here's the new chapter. Warning to all people who have not seen the last episode of V-Force: spoilers ahead, I give away the crunch line of the whole season in this chapter.  
  
Chapter 5 : Friendships  
  
We saw Zeo for the first time since the world championships today. He seemed real embarrassed and the part of his arm that short-circuited has a bandage over it. I don't know if it's actually been fixed or if that's just there to cover it up. We were all pretty glad to see him, we weren't sure if he'd ever walk the streets again after everyone found out he was an android. (A/N – there you have it, now you know, Zeo is a robot)  
  
He didn't expect to be very welcome with us, which isn't surprising, he stole two of our bit-beasts and tried to take a third, but Tyson was really happy to see him and dragged him inside as soon as he saw who it was. When he was in he said he had just come to apologise for all the trouble he'd caused, especially to Max and Kai for taking their bit-beasts. Well, you know Max, he's never one to hold a grudge, he just said it was ok. As for Kai, well, I'm not sure he actually heard him. He's been totally tuned out lately, probably his dreams are getting to him, even though he can't remember them. That probably only makes it more frustrating for him though, knowing that his past was played right in front of eyes the night before, then he wakes up and it's gone. Unfortunately, Tyson doesn't know any of this and even if he did he isn't the sensitive type. So, he, being Tyson, just yelled at the top of his lungs, "KAI, ZEO WAS APOLOGISING TO YOU, THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS ANSWER HIM!!!" Kai's head snapped up, he looked surprised for once. I think even Tyson noticed that something was up with him then, he was even paler than usual and dark shadows were beginning to show around his eyes. When he saw Zeo standing there he almost jumped, he hadn't even heard him come in! But Kai, being Kai, quickly covered his surprise and confusion, worked out what was going on, (it never ceases to amaze me how he can do that), and kind of muttered, "Yeah, sure, whatever..." before leaving the room. Zeo looked a bit upset; he must have thought it was his fault that Kai was being so cold to everyone.  
  
"Relax, something's been eating at him for a while now," Tyson said.  
  
"Oh..." Zeo said quietly, "Well, I guess I'd better get going..."  
  
"Uh, ok, so....when are you coming back for training? I'm pretty sure Kai'll bite your head off if you bunk off for too long."  
  
Zeo blinked in confusion.  
  
"What?" he said. Max laughed.  
  
"What he means is, Zeo, are you going to join the team again? We sure would like to have you back!"  
  
Zeo shook his head.  
  
"No, I couldn't, not after..."  
  
"Aw, forget about that!" Tyson said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, we all freak out and turn evil sometime, right?"  
  
Oh, great way to put it Tyson. Really, you'll make him feel so much better saying that.  
  
"I mean, it's not like we haven't seen it before," he continued, "Like once, when we were in Russia, Kai..."  
  
"Drop it Tyson," I said, a little too sharply.  
  
"Huh? What's up?" he asked, looking a bit surprised. I sighed.  
  
"I don't think Kai would appreciate you digging up mistakes he made," I said.  
  
"Well, Kai doesn't ever think that maybe we wouldn't appreciate him totally ignoring us all the time, or him snapping at us whenever he isn't ignoring us, or him bossing us around when he isn't ignoring us or snapping at us, or..."  
  
I kind of blanked him out then and left him to jabber on, at least he had forgotten about the whole Russia thing. In the end Zeo agreed to join up with us again, and he was immediately accepted back into the fold. A few hours later he was sitting talking and laughing with the rest of us, just like he had before everything had changed. I was glad, I hate to see friendships broken. When it got late he stood up to leave, and Max asked,  
  
"Are you still staying with your dad? Isn't he still trying to make you, you know, steal our bit-beasts."  
  
Zeo shook his head, "No, I haven't actually seen a lot of him since I lost. He's disappointed in me, just after the battle he yelled at me, saying that unless I got your bit-beasts I would never be like everyone else, nothing more than scrap metal..." He flushed slightly as he remembered the conversation and I thought I could see tears in his eyes. But still he managed to continue.  
  
"But no matter what he said to me I wouldn't go along with his plans anymore, I don't care what people say about me or if I'm different, I just couldn't fight you guys anymore. Since then I hardly ever see him, he avoids me..." he broke off, staring at the floor in shame. For once Tyson was sympathetic.  
  
"Well, why don't you crash here with us? If what you're saying is true then I don't think anyone's really gonna miss you back home," he said.  
  
"What? You mean you guys would really let me stay even after everything I did?"  
  
"Sure, we've been putting up with Kai for the past two years and he..."  
  
"TYSON!"  
  
"Sorry. So, you wanna Zeo?"  
  
"Sure...if it's no trouble..."  
  
"Course it's not!!!! Come on, we better go hunt out some more blankets and an extra sleeping bag...."  
  
I watched with amusement as Max and Tyson ran off in search of bedding, dragging Zeo behind them. Then I went and trained for a while, until night came again.  
  
(A/N – look, I know that the day's pass very quickly, but that is because this story is focused around what happens at night in the dreams and so on. So bear with me.)  
  
I was starting to really look forward to going back to the abbey now; me and mini-Kai were becoming quite good friends. Most of the time he wouldn't bother to try and hide the fact that he was happy to see me, though he was still a bit unsure when it came to letting me know that he liked me being there. I always knew anyway, even when he tried to hide it. It was weird, somehow it seemed like he was getting younger, and whenever I went back he acted more like a normal 6-year old. He didn't use such big words, and he didn't talk so....grown uppish. I don't know, he just seemed different. And to tell you the truth, I think I preferred him this way. I just hoped that his grandfather and Boris didn't notice him changing.  
  
Most nights when I arrived, he would get up and come over to greet me, and once I felt a small hand slip into mine when we were walking. I looked down and saw him looking up at me shyly. I was more than a bit surprised, but I was also really happy that he wasn't scared of me anymore. He smiled a lot more now too. Things were definitely looking up.  
  
*A few weeks later....I dunno...*  
  
I was accustomed to landing now, so it didn't hurt at all. I shook my head to clear it of dizziness and looked around for Kai. When he saw me he got up and ran over. I bent down to give him a hug, and to my surprise he hugged me back.  
  
"How you doing, Squirt?" I asked. Don't ask where the nick-name came from; I think I just called him that one night and it kind of stuck. At first he was a bit miffed, he didn't like being called names much because of Boris. But I think he now understands the difference between name calling and giving your friends nick-names.  
  
"Ok," he said smiling. I shook my head.  
  
"Liar," I accused, indicating the black eye he was sporting.  
  
"Aw, it's nothing," he said truthfully. I suppose he was right, he'd had broken bones before and not been that bothered. But still, you'd think he'd notice the pain more.  
  
"How long has it been since I was last here?" I asked. At first he had been confused when I had asked him this, it had been kind of hard to explain that for some reason time sometimes passed quicker, and occasionally slower, here than where I came from. I'm not sure if he really believes that I'm being serious when I ask him, but he answers all the same.  
  
"Um....two nights," he answered.  
  
"Really? Darn. Well, it's better than three weeks I suppose," I said. Kai laughed.  
  
"You're weird sometimes," he said. I looked down at him; that was the first time I had seen him laugh.  
  
"What?" he said.  
  
"Nothing," I answered, ruffling his hair, "it's just a smile suits you better than a frown."  
  
He mock-scowled at me before laughing again. I talked to him for a while afterwards, but I think I fell asleep after a while. I must have; the last thing I remember is closing my eyes, just for a second....  
  
*Next day*  
  
Zeo joined in with our training today. He isn't using Cerberus anymore; he has his old Ceronix back.  
  
"If I deserve a bit-beast then I'll earn one," he told us, "Not just use one that was stolen."  
  
Kai didn't seem to mind Zeo being there. I think he doesn't feel he can hold a grudge, after all, he did the same as Zeo in Russia, and we didn't give him the cold shoulder when he got back. In fact, I think he was really being nicer to Zeo than he was to the rest of us. It's probably because Kai knows what it's like to be used and rejected by a member of your family, something tells me Voltaire wouldn't win the 'Grandfather of the Year' award. Maybe the 'Evil Villain Bent on Taking Over the World of the Year' award but then again, that isn't much to be proud of.  
  
What everyone thought was really funny was that Zeo almost beat Tyson; he only lost because Tyson called out Dragoon.  
  
"See, Zeo?" Max said, laughing, "You really are stronger without that evil bit-beast!"  
  
"Just like Kai and Black-OW!" Tyson yelped as I elbowed him hard to shut him up. Kai was in a very bad mood today and the last thing he needed to be reminded of was Black Dranzer. And I didn't really want to think about the dark phoenix either. I shuddered remembering that particular night in the abbey; it was still replayed in my dreams at night even though it was a while ago now. Speaking of dreams....I checked my watch. 6:45pm. Not much longer to wait. I was taking some stuff back with me this time, and I wasn't going in my pyjamas. I wonder if little Kai thinks it strange that I appear out of nowhere in pyjamas. Oh well.  
  
*That night*  
  
Ok, I have got to get my stuff together but I have to do it quietly!!! If any of the others wake up then I'm in trouble.  
  
I was wearing my usual clothes and was now attempting to pack a back-pack without waking any of my friends. I took my money, just in case, my Beyblade, some books and some other stuff. I also found a big First Aid kit at the bottom of my bag and put that in too. I had bought it about a year ago when I was travelling around. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought to take it before. I couldn't think of anything else I needed so....time to go.  
  
*Arriving....you know how it works by this time*  
  
The first thing I noticed when I got there was that I couldn't see Kai anywhere.  
  
"Kai? You in here? Squirt?" I called out, but there was no answer. I wondered if I had arrived earlier or something and he was still out doing training of whatever it is they call the torture. But then I noticed the bundle of rags in the corner, he was huddled in there like he had been the first night I had come.  
  
"Kai? Hey, are you ok?" I asked worriedly, going over and sitting beside him. He turned his head and looked at me, but his eyes were glazed and at first I don't think he could even see me there. Then I saw a twinge of recognition in them.  
  
"Ray?" he whispered, his voice weak.  
  
"Yeah, it's me," I said gently, "What's wrong?"  
  
He leaned his head on my arm and closed his eyes, his breathing coming in short, painful gasps.  
  
"Kai?" I said, alarmed.  
  
"It hurts..." he whimpered.  
  
"What hurts?"  
  
"Everything..." he mumbled after a pause, "All hurts..."  
  
He held his head in his hands feverishly, and I was really worried. What was wrong with him? I took one of his arms and looked at it. My eyes widened, there was a large, shiny burn going all the way down it. His face looked bruised and cut and undoubtedly there were other injuries too.  
  
'What kind of person would do this to a kid?' I wondered, although I already knew the answer. I looked sadly at the small boy in front of me; he was in a lot of pain. I dug in my bag and pulled out the First Aid kit. Opening it, I took out some gauze and antibiotics. (A/N – Is that what that stuff's called, the stuff that stops wounds from getting infected? Well even if it ain't, it is in this story) Unscrewing the bottle cap, I tipped some of the liquid onto the white material.  
  
"Kai?" I wasn't sure if he could hear me or not, but I tried anyway, "This'll sting, ok?"  
  
And I put the gauze on the burn. The sudden sharp pain this must've caused seemed to bring him back to reality, and he instinctively pulled his arm away.  
  
"I know it hurts, but you've gotta let me clean it," I said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because if I don't it'll get infected," I answered, taking his arm back. This time he didn't pull it away, but he shut his eyes tight when I put the disinfectant back on.  
  
"No it won't," he said through gritted teeth, "I never get infections. I dunno why, I just don't."  
  
"Well, better safe than sorry," I said, talking to try and take his mind off how much this must have been hurting, "So how did this happen?"  
  
"Boris..." he said, wincing.  
  
"Yeah, I figured that. Why?"  
  
"I wouldn't do his stupid training drill..." he muttered.  
  
"What was he trying to make you do?"  
  
"He wanted us to launch our blades at some kid as his punishment. The rest of them just did it, but that kid never did nothing to me so I wouldn't do it," he explained. He breathed in sharply as I started to bandage the burn.  
  
"You can't..." he whimpered, indicating the bandage, "They'll ask where I got it from..."  
  
"No they won't," I said firmly.  
  
"Wh-what?" he said almost fearfully.  
  
"They won't ask where you got the bandages from," I repeated, standing up, "because we are getting out of this dump. Tonight."  
  
For a moment he stared at me with disbelief written all over his face. Then his expression became determined.  
  
"Well, we can try," he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've tried to get out before, but I always got caught."  
  
"Yes, but there's a difference this time."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"This time I'm helping." I replied with a grin. He thought about this for a moment.  
  
"Alright," he said, "It's worth a try!"  
  
End Chapter  
  
Aw, I think this chapter was slightly better than the last. But trust me, the plot does expand a bit from going backwards and forwards. Ok that isn't exactly true, but different stuff happens too. Never mind, you'll find out when I put the next chapter up! But for now, please review! ^_^ 


	6. Escape

I would like to thank:  
  
Adam – Thanks so much for the reviews. I think yours are the best (no offense to other reviewers, I love you all!) because you tell me what you like about the story, what you don't like and what your thoughts are. PLEASE review again; I need more reviews like yours! You're right, Ray is being pretty reckless changing the past like this, but he isn't sure yet whether its really the past he's in or just a dream. He will find out though, in later chapters. And also the changes will start to affect the present, but that doesn't happen for a while yet. Ok, I will give away no more of the plot!  
  
PenguinPop – Thanks for the reviews, it's nice to know someone likes what you write   
  
I think this chapter's a bit sad....but maybe you won't, only the very smart people will understand why I think it's sad. Well, you'll find out in chapter 7 when I put it up, which will be soon hopefully, I have it all planned out! Yes, I know, I should really get a social life! But anyway, here's chapter 6.  
  
Chapter 6: Escape!!!  
  
As soon as he agreed to escaping, Kai was ready to go.  
  
"Wait a second!" I laughed, surprised at the miracle recovery, "Do you need anything else bandaged?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Probably," he said, "but then again I never know what needs bandaged and what doesn't."  
  
"Well, you'd better let me see," I said.  
  
"See what?"  
  
"Where ever it hurts."  
  
He grinned.  
  
"Where ever it hurts?" he asked. I nodded.  
  
"We could be here a while then," he smirked.  
  
1 hour, 25 minutes, 13 bandages, 7 plasters and 1 and a half bottles of anti-sceptic later...  
  
"I think that's you done," I said, securing a last strip of gauze on his right leg.  
  
"I can't move," he said.  
  
"Loosen some of the bandages a bit then," I said, "Just make sure they don't fall off."  
  
I looked on with amusement as he tugged at some of the white material. He was more bandages than anything else now, when he had said 'everything hurts' he hadn't been kidding. In total, if I remember correctly, there had been another burn going up his left leg, what looked suspiciously like a knife wound down his side, numerous bruises and cuts on his face, a nasty looking cut that started at the side of his head and ran all the way down to his neck...and a lot more I won't go into, I'd rather forget about them, I don't like the sight of blood.  
  
"Uh, hello?"  
  
I snapped out of my thoughts to see Kai standing in front of me staring sceptically. He had finished loosening the bandages and could move properly again.  
  
"Oops, sorry, daydreaming," I said sheepishly. He gave me that look that could only mean 'oooook' before shaking his head.  
  
"Sooo...how do we get out?" he asked.  
  
"Well," I said, gesturing towards the door, "we're going out the door."  
  
"Uh, I kinda worked that part out," he said, "but how?"  
  
"Like this," I said. I walked right through the door, still surprised that I could, and took the keys that were hanging on the wall next to the door. It was more difficult than I thought; the first time I tried they went right through my hand. But somehow, if I just concentrated hard enough, I could make myself solid. I think. I don't know, I'm still working all this out. Anyway, I had the keys, and somehow managed to walk back through the door holding them. It was only then I noticed how many keys there were on the chain.  
  
"One of these for your door?" I asked. When I got no response I looked up and saw him staring at me.  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"How did you DO that?" he asked, half amazed, half scared. He looked first at me, then at the door, trying to make up his mind which one wasn't solid.  
  
"Trust me, if I knew, I would tell you," I said, laughing at his astonishment. Eventually he just shook his head.  
  
"I think one of us is insane here," he said, "I'm just not sure which one."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind..." I said, "Now...do you know which of these keys opens the door?"  
  
He nodded and selected a large, copper-coloured key from the bundle. I inserted it into the lock, (I had to, he couldn't reach it. I, needless to say, found this very amusing.), and turned it slowly. It clicked and I cautiously pushed the door open. (I had to keep one hand on Kai's shoulder this whole time; otherwise I would have ended up falling through the door or something.) It squeaked on rusty hinges and we both flinched but thankfully no one appeared to have heard.  
  
"Do you know the way to the exit?" I asked in a whisper.  
  
"Uh....yeah, sort of," he answered uneasily.  
  
"So which way do we go?"  
  
"Left."  
  
"Right."  
  
"No, I said left."  
  
"I know, I meant....never mind."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Right, let's go."  
  
"Not right, left."  
  
"I KNOW!"  
  
After about 40 minutes of running down seemingly endless passageways, we got out of the 'dungeon floor' as Kai called it and reached the upper floors, where experiments were carried out etc. We made our way to the top floor without being noticed, but then I heard the shrill of alarm bells and red lights began to flash. Someone must have noticed Kai was missing.  
  
"Great," I muttered, giving Kai a push to tell him to move faster. He did, but soon three men dressed in black spotted us. They called out, and soon they were joined by two more men, and all five of them started chasing us. Or, as far as they could see, they started chasing Kai. I thought it strange that five guards were needed to catch one six year-old, then it occurred to me that Kai had probably tried to escape before and had almost been successful. Well, this time he was getting out, no matter how many stupid guards were sent after him. Kai suddenly turned right into an almost hidden passage in the wall. I followed, and found myself running uphill. The corridor was sloping upwards, and I realized we must almost be out. But the guards were starting to catch up with us, even with his unusual strength an injured 6 year old would never out-run a fully grown man. Or in our case, five fully grown men. I ran ahead and grabbed Kai's hand, pulling him along. We reached a set of double doors, and I felt Kai hesitating slightly, apparently he had never got this far before. I tugged him along harder, somehow managing to give the doors a shove. They burst open and we raced out. We were now in the room that Boris had first taken us to while we were in Russia, where Tyson had battled Alexander. There was a pair of huge doors at one end and we automatically turned towards them. We were just about out when the guards entered the room. As soon as they spotted Kai they ran towards him, ready to grab him. I struggled with the doors, they refused to open. Frustrated, I dug in my bag and pulled out Driger.  
  
"Stand back..." I muttered to Kai as I fitted the blade to my launcher. I launched it straight at the doors and they flew open. We got outside just before the first guard grabbed Kai. We ran out into the freezing Russian winter, it was snowing. I looked at Kai, despite his lack of warm clothing he didn't seem that bothered by the cold. Well, I supposed he would be once the excitement of being out wore off. Turning around I saw the guards were still in hot pursuit, so we both turned and ran again.  
  
'We're almost there,' I realized.  
  
Just then, a group of around six Bio-Volt bladers appeared from the shadows. Upon seeing Kai they automatically launched their Beyblades at him; obviously they had been alerted to his escape. He managed to dodge most of the flying blades, but one hit him hard on the side of the head. He stumbled and I saw the trickle of blood running down from his temple. Panicking, I reached out and grabbed his wrist and yanked him along, having to practically pull him the whole way. Eventually we came to a maze of small streets, and I turned down into a completely random alleyway, pulling Kai along with me. We hid behind a row of dustbins, not the most pleasant hiding place but it worked, no one found us. We both sat there gasping for breath.  
  
"Well, we made it," I said breathlessly, "you alright?"  
  
He didn't answer; he had his hand pressed against the place on his head where the beyblade hit him, but the blood was leaking through his fingers. I felt my blood run cold.  
  
"Hang on," I said, "I'll get a bandage...." I started rummaging through my bag, but Kai appeared not to have heard me. When I finally got the bandage out, I pulled his hand away so I could get a better look at the wound. He stared at me, his expression dazed.  
  
"What's going on?" he questioned, looking more than a little confused.  
  
"It's alright, we got out of Bio-Volt, everything's gonna be ok..." I said, trying to convince myself as much as him. I went to put the bandage on the wound but he jumped back, not letting me near him.  
  
"What is it?" I asked in confusion. What was wrong now?  
  
He didn't speak, just crouched there staring around him looking totally lost. I started to get worried, he was losing a lot of blood through that wound, if he didn't let me bandage it soon then....no; I forced myself not to think about that possibility.  
  
"Kai!" I said in frustration, "you have to let me put a bandage on that! Don't you even notice that you're turning the snow red?"  
  
He jumped at hearing me speak and retreated further away from me. I was getting pretty angry now, this was the first time I hadn't been able to work out how his mind was working.  
  
"Kai, if you don't come out and let me bandage that, I will come over there, pin you to the ground and bandage it even if you lie there kicking and screaming," I muttered louder than I had meant to. 'Damnit' I thought as he gave a frightened squeak and inched back into the wall where he sat watching me with frightened eyes. I wondered if maybe just the shock of being outside properly was freaking him out, but that still didn't explain why he was terrified of me. Before I could think of a new angle from which to approach the problem, the loss of blood must have become too much for him, because he swayed slightly and looked a bit sick. Suddenly he fell to the side. I quickly went over and caught him before he hit the ground. I looked at the huge gash on his head, and immediately started bandaging it when I saw how deep it was. He struggled weakly against my hold, but I wouldn't let go, not till I was sure the flow of blood was at least partially stopped. Eventually I had the bandage on as tight as I dared, and he had finally stopped struggling. Now that he was calmer I decided to ask why he had been acting so strangely.  
  
"Now," I said, "what was all that about?"  
  
He gazed up at me, his eyes glazed, as if the unfamiliarity of his situation had become too much for him and he had just kind of blanked everything out.  
  
"What?" he said, as if it were perfectly normal for him to be ok one minute and petrified of me the next.  
  
"Why were you so scared?" I asked, trying to narrow it down. He looked at me as if to say 'Were? I still am...' He didn't answer though, instead his eyes started to close and I felt him lie still.  
  
"No Kai!" I said, alarmed, "you have to stay awake!"  
  
"Why?" he mumbled, "my head hurts too much...."  
  
"Yes, I know it does, but you have to stay awake, Squirt," I told him, I knew that if he lost consciousness we would be in real trouble.  
  
"Squirt?" he said in confusion. I was getting worried now, why didn't he seem to be familiar with anything?  
  
"Never mind..." I said, deciding the nick-name wasn't all the important right now, "Just don't fall asleep."  
  
"I can't help it," he said, his voice barely audible. I called to him, trying to keep him awake, trying to stop him giving in to the dark.  
  
"Stay..." I begged, already knowing it was hopeless. The small body went limp in my arms, and there was nothing I could do about it. And all of a sudden, I felt myself drifting away too, as hard as tried I couldn't stay awake, and soon my eyes closed.  
  
Hm, this is the shortest chapter I've done yet I think. But I had to end it here, what happens next just has to be in a new chapter.Um, I don't know quite why Ray fell asleep there, maybe he cant stay awake if Kai isn't or if he's alone....you know, if he's the only one awake around him. Anyway, unless you've worked it out already (which you probably have since I made it a bit obvious) you'll find out what's up with Kai in the next chapter. Until then, PLEASE review!!! 


	7. Forgotten Friend

Ok, I tried to get this chapter up quickly like I said I would. But that doesn't mean you can't review. In fact, if people DON'T review, I WON'T update!!! That's the new deal, I get lots of reviews, and you guys get your new chapter. I don't even know why I am attempting to bargain like this...hardly anyone reads this crap anyway. But anyhow, I'll shut up and get on with this now. (Sorry about the sappy chapter name)  
  
First I'd like to thank:  
  
Moon Comix: Sorry for not mentioning you in the last chapter, I was in a bad mood with you for thinking it was funny that I fell off the stage in 'Sleeping Beauty'. (A/N – to understand this, read Mouseisi's Sleeping Beauty story) anyway, thanks for all the reviews!!!  
  
Mouseisi: I'm still not sure why you reviewed, but THANKIES!!! You are da best!!!  
  
EmeraldEyes90: Thanks so much for reviewing!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any characters. I do however own all my own characters that come into this chapter (I won't give their names away....you'll know them when you see them) and I suppose I almost own Little Kai, since he is nothing like big Kai. gets chased by angry copyright people ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I DON'T OWN HIM AT ALL THEN!!!  
  
Right, I'm not quite sure where the idea for this chapter came from. I think it has something to do with me watching 'Annie' and reading 'A Little Princess'. But anyway, please read. And don't laugh too much, it is incredibly sappy at parts.  
  
Chapter 7: Forgotten Friend  
  
I woke with a start, and sat bolt-upright as the memories of the night before came flooding back to me. Finding myself in the dojo and not on the streets of Russia, I cried out and began cursing myself, all the time worrying about 'Little Kai' all alone, with a head injury, in the freezing cold. In desperation I turned towards Kai's sleeping bag, to reassure myself that he was still alive and well in this time. But to my horror, he wasn't there. The sleeping bag was folded up neatly, and looked unused. My thoughts began racing: Was it possible that he had died at 6 years old after the accident last night? And here in this time, we had never even met him? If that was true, then it was all my fault, I was the one who had convinced him to make an escape last night. It just didn't bear thinking about. I jumped up and ran out the door, only to collide with someone else coming in. We both crashed to the floor.  
  
"Ow...." I moaned, rubbing my head. The other person was doing likewise.  
  
"Watch where you're going, huh Ray?" he said.  
  
"Sorry, Kai.....KAI!!!" I cried as I realized who it was, "You're-you're ok!!!"  
  
He stared at me as if I was nuts, which I suppose I was.  
  
"Yes....why wouldn't I be?" he asked. I began to stutter an answer, and only then realized how stupid I was being. Come on, it just wasn't possible that I travelled about 10 years into the past every night. It must just be some kind of recurring dream, after all, it hadn't taken any effect on the Kai in our time, because there was no way the miniature version could have survived a whole night alone on the streets when the temperature was below zero, and that's how I left him. Just then, I was saved from having to look any more stupid than I already did because the rest of the team started to wake up due to all the noise we had been making. Alright, all the noise I had been making.  
  
"What's goin on?" Tyson moaned sleepily.  
  
"Nothing," Kai said, turning his head to look at them. I gasped at what I saw. Hearing me, he looked at me again.  
  
"What now?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"What? Oh...it's nothing," I muttered, turning away. I was lying though. What I had just seen had changed my mind about everything I had just thought through. It hadn't been a dream, unless there was some very unlikely coincidence, because when Kai had turned his head, I had seen the barely noticeable silvery scar running down his temple. Right where the beyblade had hit him all those years ago, although to me it was only last night.  
  
That night....  
  
I landed on the streets of Russia, outside a building with a sign saying 'Orphan Home' outside. For a moment I was confused, why would Kai be here? If he had been found I figured he would've ended up back at the abbey. Oh well, I'd have to ask him when I found him. I looked around for a while, just in case he was outside somewhere. He wasn't though, and I was about to head inside the orphanage, when I suddenly spotted him, sitting on the outside window-sill of an upper-floor window, his slate and navy hair standing out starkly against the grey buildings and sky. I didn't want to call up to him in case he got a fright and fell, so I walked through the door (I still haven't got over the fact that I can DO that!) and made my way upstairs, looking for the right room. On the way up I almost bumped into a very drunk looking man coming down the hallway. I automatically hid around a corner, even though I doubted he could even see the people that really existed in this time, never mind time-travelling visions. I guess that's what I am while I'm here, no one else except Kai has acknowledged my existence so far. I inched timidly past the staggering man and continued on my way. After many tries I finally reached the right room, it was really a small dormitory, crowded with too many children. They were all sleeping in narrow, flimsy beds, except Kai who was still outside looking at nothing in particular. I was appalled at the conditions, the walls were filthy and peeling, most of the carpet had worn away to reveal holey, splinter-filled floor-boards underneath, there was a hole in the roof through which a steady trickle of water was dripping and the window looked like it didn't close properly. In other words, it didn't look much better than the abbey. I looked at all the sleeping children, a mixture of boys and girls ranging widely in age. Their thin blankets and worn clothes weren't doing much to protect them from the harsh Russian weather, and they were all almost blue with cold. I shook my head sadly, I felt so sorry for them. But right now Kai was my number one concern. I was about to go over to him when suddenly a small girl in one of the beds started crying in her sleep. When Kai heard her he jumped down off the window-sill and went over to her and gently shook her awake. When she opened her tear-filled eyes and saw him there she cried harder and, much to my surprise, he helped her sit up and gave her a hug.  
  
"Sh, it's ok, it was just a dream..." he said, trying to silence her sobs, "Come on, stop crying..." He rocked her back and forwards, as if she was much younger than him although she looked about 5, and managed to quieten her quite quickly. But her crying had already woken quite a few others in the room. A tall boy with dark brown hair and maroon-coloured eyes of around 10 stood up on his bed.  
  
"Ebony shouldn't be in this room," he grumbled, "she's a baby, she cries all the time!"  
  
"She does not!" Kai said angrily, "Leave her alone, she was having a bad dream!"  
  
"She was having a bad dweam!" the boy mimicked in a baby voice, "well, why doesn't she go off and have bad dreams with the other babies!"  
  
"Because I AM NOT A BABY!" the little girl, whose name I assumed to be Ebony, said furiously. I couldn't help but smile at that, she may have been scared, but she was every bit as tough and proud as Kai when it came down to it.  
  
"Yes you are," an older girl said, "you're only five."  
  
"If you're five then you're five," Kai said stoutly, "but that makes it only one more year before you're six."  
  
"Well, Mr Smarty-Pants, she's five right now," the tall boy sneered.  
  
"So what? I was five a few months before I came here, why am I so different?" Kai challenged.  
  
"Because you're a boy," the older girl said, "boys don't cry as much."  
  
"Exactly!" the tall boy said triumphantly, "So wittle Ebbie has to go sleep with the other babies."  
  
He got down off his bed and started to make his way over to Ebony, who glared fiercely at him. She might have defended herself, but Kai stepped in front first.  
  
"You want to do anything to her, you're gonna have to go through me first," he growled, clenching his fists. In normal circumstances, this would've looked ridiculous, a small boy of six squaring up to a tall 10- year old. But I knew how strong Kai was, and apparently the kids here did too, because the older boy shrugged and sauntered back to his own bed, trying to look nonchalant. Kai scowled at his retreating back before going back over to Ebony.  
  
"You don't always have to stick up for me y' know," she said shyly, "I can look after myself!"  
  
"I know you can!" he laughed, "but that doesn't mean I can't help!"  
  
She giggled, they were obviously quite good friends.  
  
"So what were you dreaming about?" he asked her, "Do you want to tell me 'bout it?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Ok, tell me," he said, scooting over to the other end of the bed so that his back was leaning against the wall. Ebony immediately scampered over and burrowed in beside him. I watched from a distance, I had never seen him looking so...normal. Happy, even.  
  
"It wasn't me in the dream..." Ebony said thoughtfully, "it was like I was watching. And it was you I was watching, Kai! You were out in the streets, and you were running 'cos bad men were chasing you. And there was another person..." she paused and wrinkled her nose as she tried to remember the 'other person', "Uh huh; there was another person, a boy with long black hair and cat eyes. He was older than us, even older than Cal!" She nodded her head towards the boy who had wanted her to move rooms. It occurred to me that this boy Cal must be one of the oldest in the orphanage, and therefore had the highest ranking among them. Whereas Kai and Ebony, only little kids, were regarded as the lowest of the low and were given no respect. It appeared, however, that Kai was constantly breaking this unspoken rule.  
  
"And he was pulling you 'long, and telling you to go faster. Then you's turned....that way," Ebony pointed to her right, "but there was more bad guys down that way, comin' t'wards ya. So you's turned round to go the other way. There weren't none bad guys down there, but the others had already turned the corner and they was coming t'wards you too...and there was nowhere for ya to run to and the got you and..." She broke off here and a few silent tears fell down her face again. I was tempted to go 'awwwww' because I realized that she hadn't been crying because she had been afraid for herself, she had been crying because she had been frightened for Kai. How sweet. I had a feeling that if the older Kai I knew remembered this night, he would either crack up laughing or feel sick every time he thought of it. The younger version seemed so different, like a whole different person. I knew that people changed as they got older, but what could have happened to this normal, (I tried not to use the words 'happy' or 'sweet' or something. For some weird reason I felt that the Kai I knew could find out. Then I would be in trouble.), kid to change him so drastically?  
  
I wandered around the room a little, Kai was still talking to Ebony and I didn't want her to think he was insane because he was talking to someone she couldn't see. Either Kai hadn't noticed me yet or he was just keeping quiet for that same reason. I found myself next to Cal, the older boy's bed. He was talking quietly to another boy in the next bed, who looked about nine. Hoping that no one could see me, I edged closer, trying to hear their conversation. It took me a while to figure out what they were talking about, since I hadn't heard the beginning of the conversation, but once I did everything they had said made sense.  
  
"Honestly, that kid turns up only last month and already he practically rules the place," Cal growled under his breath.  
  
"Yeah," the other boy said dully.  
  
"So what are we gonna do 'bout it?"  
  
"Dunno. He's like a hero to all the little kids; they'd defend him if we did anything."  
  
"Hero? Pft," Cal snorted, but I saw the glimmer of doubt behind his eyes, "how can he be their hero when he's one of them? He's only six, what could he possibly do?"  
  
"You know what he can do," the younger boy said, "You've seen it yourself. He's not LIKE us. He's stronger, in more ways than one."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Cal asked after a pause. The boy looked at him sleepily.  
  
"I'm not sure...you'll have to ask him yourself," he said, "but jus' now I wanna get some sleep, in a few more hours Lord High-and-Mighty Hammern will be dragging us out of bed to do our chores...even though they don't really need doing, he's jus' too blitzed to notice that we've done 'em a zillion times already."  
  
And with that he drifted off to sleep. I realized that the drunk man I had seen on the stairs must actually run the orphanage. Ok, that couldn't mean anything good.  
  
'Poor kids,' I thought, wondering what he did to them after he'd been drinking. Cal lay watching everyone else for a while. The hard, haughty mask he wore while he was awake fell away while the rest of the room, excluding Kai and Ebony but they were away on the other side, slept, and I could see the confused thoughts running over his face. At first I had thought that he just proclaimed himself ring-leader of all the kids here and immediately thought he could treat them any way he liked. But now I could see that he had never known kindness, a bit like Kai had been back at the abbey. So he couldn't understand giving kindness to anyone, or it being given to him. I wished I could do something to help, but I knew I couldn't. He couldn't even see me, how was I meant to help him?  
  
I noticed that Ebony had fallen asleep, so I decided to go and talk to Kai. I hesitated, what was I going to say to him? 'Oh sorry, Kai, I just fell asleep while you were bleeding to death, that's why I wasn't there when you woke up and that's why you are now stuck here in this poor excuse for an orphanage. Alright? And now I've come back and I'm going to carry on as if I've done nothing wrong.' Sheesh, I could just imagine that particular conversation. I would have to say something to him though, otherwise what kind of friend would I be? Instead of standing there preparing all kinds of weird and wonderful excuses, I just walked over ready to face everything and work it out from there.  
  
I looked at him. He was still sitting on the bed. Ebony was still sitting beside him, she must have fallen asleep while they were talking. Her head was leaning on his shoulder and he looked like he was about to nod off too.  
  
"Kai?" I said before he fell asleep. His head jerked up and he jumped when he saw me.  
  
"Wha...?" he yelped, "Who are you?"  
  
"That's not funny. I'm sorry, ok?"  
  
"Erm, ok, but for what?"  
  
"Kai....."  
  
"I'm being serious!"  
  
I looked at him, long and hard. There was no anger or anything on his face, only curiosity and a bit of fear. I felt like I had just swallowed an ice cube as everything fitted together in my head. The Beyblade hitting him, him not letting me near him, the fact he didn't seem to know me, him somehow in the orphanage.  
  
"Kai?" I managed to croak, "Don't you remember me?"  
  
A/N – Hehe, I was going to be real cruel and end the chapter here. But then I thought 'Naaaaaaah, I'll torture them all with my pathetic writing for a little longer' So here's some more.  
  
After he finally calmed down a little and I managed to get some sense out of him, my worst suspicions were confirmed. He had no idea who he had been before he had been hit on the head. All he knew was that his name was Kai; he didn't even know how he knew that. He didn't remember his second name either, but I guessed that wasn't such a bad thing. He couldn't remember the abbey, Voltaire, Boris, anything. I think if he hadn't been, ok I'll admit it, my friend, I would've been almost glad this had happened, this way he could start a new life sort of and his past experiences wouldn't keep him down. But on the downside he didn't remember me either. I couldn't make up my mind whether to try and revive all his memories, or just reintroduce myself and start all over again, and pretend that I had never known him before now. A few weeks ago the solution would have been simple, but everything was different now. I couldn't just think about what would be easier for him; I had to consider what would be better for him in the long run. But then again, which was that? I decided to let it drop for a while, and just started kind of talking to him. I didn't tell him my name, I'm not sure why not but I guess it was so that I knew when, if, he remembered.  
  
Aaaaaaaand, I can't think what to write next. You'll just have to wait until my brain decides to come back from its vacation in Hawaii, or wherever it is my poor excuse for a brain decides to holiday. AAAAAAGH, THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! But anyway, I think it's long enough....I can never write a short chapter. Or so it seems. Anyway...for the next exciting (pft) part of this fic, you must review!!!! Cos I ain't putting more chapters up till I get reviews!!!! Mwahahahaha. 


	8. Reintroductions

First of all, to my reviewers...:  
  
Adam: You're welcome. Yes, I know it's a bit strange that the guards or the bladers somehow didn't catch him, but I guess I wasn't really thinking when I wrote that...if I can think of a way to change it, I will. Was the amnesia thing really that predictable? Oh well, I suppose it's better when people can guess, then they're more happy when they're correct. And I apologize about the review thing. I'll not do it again. Yes, now Ray knows that time-travel's real and I think in later chapters I'll make him try and be more careful when the logic of things doesn't confuse him too much. As for Ebony...well I don't want to explain that in the chapter cos that might spoil it for other readers. Yes, I do know how this story is going to end, and I know how most of the major turns in the plot are going to work out too, it's just this particular part I'm having trouble with... I think I'm planning a sequel too...and I shouldn't have said that. Anyway, I've talked for way too long. Many thanks for the constructive criticism; you're the only one who gives me it! And sorry for boring you with this big long 'note'. Please tell me what you think of the new chapter. 8-)  
  
Thank you to all my other reviewers too, I would give you a mention but I don't want to take up too much space.  
  
Now on with the chapter!!!!  
  
Chapter 8: Reintroductions  
  
"Ray, will you SNAP OUT OF IT?!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"Wha...?" Oops, I had dozed off again. Half-way through a battle.  
  
"Dude, you sleep-walking or something? You're starting to act like a zombie," Max laughed.  
  
"No....I'm just a bit tired, I guess," I replied feebly.  
  
"I don't see how, we all go to bed at the same time," Hilary commented.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but..."  
  
"Can we get on with this battle TODAY?!"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Everyone was starting to notice how pre-occupied I was acting. I couldn't help it, how could I concentrate on training when I have other things on my mind? Such as a memory-less 6-year old back in Russia 10 years ago. But I can't tell my friends about that, can I? Eventually Tyson won the battle and I, in no mood for a rematch, went and sat down beside Zeo. He's still a bit quieter than before, but he'll get over it. I hope. I glanced over at Kai. He was, as usual, just standing with his arms folded and his eyes closed. I was starting to get a bit miffed that apart from the scar on his head, my travelling through time didn't seem to be taking much effect on him. (A/N – Hehe, there will be an explanation for this later, I promise.) Oh well, that wasn't going to stop me trying.  
  
That night  
  
When I arrived I was surprised to find it daylight outside. Then again, it could have been daytime when I had visited the abbey, but it's not as if I would have been able to tell, there had been no windows. I wandered about the poor excuse for an orphanage, trying to find Kai or Ebony, preferably both. Eventually I found them in a dormitory, though not the same one that they slept in. They were crouched next to a bed with a wooden frame that was obviously broken and there was another kid with them that I didn't recognize. He looked around 4 and had jade green hair and big violet eyes. He was crying loudly, Ebony was trying to comfort him whilst Kai watched with a frown on his face.  
  
"Stop crying, will you? I'll fix it. I said I'll fix it!!! It'll be fine, and The Hammer will never know, ok?" he said with a touch of irritability to his voice. The tiny boy nodded but then resumed crying. I worked out that he must have somehow broke the bed-frame (which didn't look too hard to do, the beds looked like a gust of wind could blow them away) and had panicked because he thought he was going to get into a lot of trouble. I laughed to myself when I realized that Kai must have stepped into help him, those other boys had been right; he was like a 'hero' to the little kids by the looks of it. But crying was obviously one thing he didn't quite get. Ebony shot a glare at him for talking so harshly before going back to speaking in soft tones to the little boy. Kai rolled his eyes and disappeared out of the room for a moment, coming back with some spare wood, nails and a hammer. By now Ebony had managed to calm the little kid down and told him to go and do his chores so that 'The Hammer' didn't get suspicious. I was starting to wonder what this whole 'The Hammer' thing was. I would have to ask later. But for now I just hung about watching them, I would have to wait until Ebony went away before I went over to talk to Kai.  
  
"Kai, why were you talking so mean to that kid? He was just scared in case he got punished," Ebony scolded. I laughed again, she sounded like a mother.  
  
"Cos he was crying. I can't stick crying," he replied, not looking up from the piece of wood he was hammering some nails into.  
  
"Why not? Everyone cries sometimes, even you I bet."  
  
"I do not."  
  
"Bet you do."  
  
"Bet all you like, but I don't."  
  
"I don't get it, didn't you even cry when you were reeeeeally really small?"  
  
"I don't think so....I don't remember being very small, you know that."  
  
"Oh yeah....you're weird though, even when you get beaten you don't seem to feel it," Ebony said thoughtfully. Ah, Kai might not remember the abbey but it looks like some of its influence is still with him.  
  
"Yeah, well..." he said, obviously trying to concentrate on what he was doing. Unfortunately Ebony didn't quite grasp this and continued talking.  
  
"What do you mean 'you can't stick crying'?" she asked.  
  
"I mean I don't see the point in it. Blubbing isn't going to make anything hurt any less, and it isn't going to make your problems go away either," he answered, "I just don't get it."  
  
"But sometimes..." Ebony started but stopped as Kai lost his concentration and whacked his finger with the hammer.  
  
"Yowch!" he yelped, dropping the hammer.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry...lemme see," Ebony said indicating his now rather red finger.  
  
"No, it's fine," Kai said through gritted teeth.  
  
"But..."  
  
"You talk too much!!!" he said, covering his ears in mock-fright. Ebony frowned and pushed him over but he easily over-powered her and sat back up again, both of them laughing.  
  
"Well, it's true," he grinned, "now quit attacking me so I can get on with fixing this thing."  
  
"Yeah alright," she said, and she watched whilst he did his best to repair the broken bed. I have to admit I was impressed, I wonder if they taught woodwork at the abbey. Wait a minute, what was I thinking? Woodwork? No way. He must just have a natural talent for stuff like this, I guess.  
  
"There...I think that's as good as it's going to get," Kai said after a while, stepping back to scrutinize his work. It looked fine to me; at the very least it would hold for a while.  
  
"You're good at fixing stuff," Ebony said almost enviously, "I wish I could do that."  
  
"Maybe but you're better than me at other stuff."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Being nice to people!" he said, "you'll probably be a teacher or something when you grow up so that you can be friends will all the kids."  
  
"Yeah right, as if!" Ebony said, shoving him again, "you are good at fixing stuff though, and making things better. You should remember that."  
  
He looked at her strangely as she said this, and so did I. Ok....that just hadn't sounded like something a kid of 5 would say. She seemed totally oblivious to our stares though, (well Kai's anyway, she obviously didn't even know I was there but you know what I mean), and looked almost unaware that she had even said anything. I was starting to wonder about her, I had had my suspicions last time I had been here when she had talked about her dream, but now I was really starting to consider that there was something strange about her. Argh, what was I thinking, she was just a little girl. I shrugged the thoughts off; it was all probably just coincidence. It was weird enough travelling through time without things getting weird in the different time-zones.  
  
Kai eventually shook his head and let his stare drop, and I did likewise. I had worked one thing out though, this must be a few weeks, possibly months, after the last time I came, because Ebony and Kai just seemed to talk to each other differently. Last time it was as if they had still been on fragile ground with each other, just making friends, but now it seemed like they could say pretty much anything to each other and get away with it with a few laughs. Quite cute, actually.  
  
"I'd better go, I was meant to be washing the kitchen floor today," Ebony sighed, standing up, "See you later, Kai."  
  
"Bye," he said giving her a small smile, "and good luck with the mop."  
  
She shook her head and ran off. I inwardly whooped, I thought she was never going to leave. Kai started gathering up the hammer and left-over nails. I went over and tapped his shoulder, causing him to jump but when he saw me he calmed down again slightly.  
  
"Hi," was all I could say.  
  
"Uh...hi," came his so much more imaginative response.  
  
"Sorry I scared you," I said, knowing fine well what reaction I would get.  
  
"I wasn't scared." Yup, some things never change.  
  
"Yeah, ok."  
  
"I was starting to think that I'd imagined you coming here at all," he commented after a while. Oh great, we were back to him using too-big words again. Looks like I'm going to have to start all over again with getting him to act like a regular 6-year old.  
  
"How long has it been since I was last here?" I asked. He looked mildly surprised.  
  
"Well I thought you would know that," he said then shrugged, "just over 2 months, I think."  
  
Darn, that long?!  
  
"Oh....sure didn't seem that long to me," I said after a pause.  
  
"What do you..." he started but trailed off as Ebony came back into the room.  
  
"Hi, sorry, I left my....hey, who's this?" she asked, wide-eyed. With a jolt, I realized she was talking about me. I looked down only to meet her slightly frightened violet eyes.  
  
"Oh, uh...." I stuttered before just giving up and falling silent. Come on, what could I say? Not to mention I was sort of in a state of shock after realizing that another person apart from Kai could see me.  
  
"Not sure, he never told me his name," Kai said shrugging. They both looked at me, apparently awaiting an introduction of some kind. Alright, there was no way I was going to get out of this one. I told them that I had been sent to help out at the orphanage. Obviously this was a lie but I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head, plus the explanation I had used the first ever time I had come to the past just wasn't going to work anymore. You know, when I just said I was 'a friend'. I tried to make it apparent to them that they weren't to tell anyone else that they had seen me and that I was only here to help them out. I know, originally I had only come to help Kai but now that Ebony could see me too....well I couldn't just leave her, could I? They seemed to accept this rather poor explanation, but then came the question I was hoping they would forget.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
Kids just never miss a thing, do they? I had to tell them of course, I felt bad enough about lying to them already.  
  
"I'm Ray," I said, doing my best to smile.  
  
"Hi, that's Kai and I'm Ebony," the small girl said, "but you already knew that, didn't you?"  
  
"What? Oh, uh....." I tried desperately to think of an explanation when the question of how she knew I would already know their names hit me. I never got an opportunity to ask her though, she looked at me knowingly before scooping up the thing she had returned to the room for (which was, surprisingly, a Beyblade) and leaving to go clean the floor in the kitchen, as was her task for the morning. Once she was gone I turned to Kai again.  
  
"Have you got something you should be doing as well?" I asked. He shook his head.  
  
"Nope...at least I don't think I do. In other words I probably do but I've 'forgotten'," he raised his eyebrows on the word 'forgotten' and I realized he was just bunking off. Which wasn't all too surprising, despite the poor condition the place was in, it didn't look like it needed many chores done around it. Serious construction work, maybe, but not chores. I was still amused at his skiving off though...it was just so out of character.  
  
"Won't you get caught?" I asked curiously.  
  
"Nah, it's easy, all you gotta do is pretend to be busy when The Hammer comes around. He's usually so drunk he won't notice any different," he said matter-of-factly. I was starting to think that he had the potential to start a full-scale rebellion around here. Which he probably would do but I'm not entirely sure that it would be a bad thing.  
  
"The Hammer, who is that?" I inquired, hoping he wouldn't get nervous with me asking all these questions. No such luck. He stiffened.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" he shot back at me.  
  
"Well I heard you and Ebony talking about someone called The Hammer quite a few times and I was just wondering who it was," I said in surprise. I wondered what had been so bad about that particular question to spark his suspicion all over again. He sighed and went over to the window. He stared out at the scenery, which wasn't really much more than rows of dirty grey buildings in this poor part of town. Confused, I followed and stood beside him, being careful not to stand too close for fear of him bolting. This was almost laughable, it was as if he were an untamed animal that was liable to run away should I come too near.  
  
We both stood in uncomfortable silence for a while, until it suddenly struck me. He must think that I was asking him all these things so that I could pass what he said onto somebody else, and that somebody was probably a person who would come and punish him for not doing his chores (no matter how unnecessary they were) and calling some person in the orphanage 'The Hammer'. (At least, I assumed it was someone in the orphanage he was referring to when he said that.) Alright, I know that it's weird that all this just popped into my head out of nowhere, but I guess I'm starting to learn all over again how he thinks. I couldn't work out why he would think this though, in the abbey he had thought I was going to turn on him because that had happened before, so....ah I see. This must have happened before too. That would explain why he and Ebony both bought my rather pathetic off-the- handle story about being a helper. And it would also explain why the kids here hadn't yet mutinied, how could they if any stranger they came across could be passing on that information? I wondered if that was also why Ebony had said what she had, but quickly pushed that to the back of my head, I would think about Ebony later since I was seriously starting to think there was something not-quite-normal about her. My thoughts returned to my newly found theory. So, so-called 'helpers' were quite often brought in here to spy on the kids? I couldn't be absolutely sure this was true unless I asked Kai or Ebony, but I got the feeling that wasn't too good a plan and besides, the chances were they wouldn't answer me anyway. So all I could do now was hope (or was it more along the lines of not hope? Hm...) that I was right.  
  
"You know..." I said finally, "anything you tell me won't go any further."  
  
He glanced up at me for a moment.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, staring out the window again.  
  
"I mean that you can tell me anything and I won't tell anyone else," I explained. He considered this for a moment before resuming his looking-out- the-window. After a very long silence he spoke.  
  
"I don't have to tell you anything," he said.  
  
"No, you don't," I agreed. I wasn't about to force him or anything. I thought he sounded like he was trying to convince himself of this though, and was maybe finding it hard not to tell me things. Whether this was a good or a bad thing is debatable.  
  
"..."  
  
Another silence. Fun, fun, fun.  
  
"How do I know you aren't just like the others?" he asked uneasily after a while. Aha, now I was onto something.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked innocently. I earned myself a scowl from him, but thankfully an explanation too. So really all this was paying off. Wasn't it?  
  
"Don't think that I don't know who's been passing on everything I say," he said angrily, "the stupid helper people, I know it's them!"  
  
Ooooook, I think that confirms my theory.  
  
"Oh..." was all I could say.  
  
"Did The Hammer send you as well?" he said. This brought me to my senses.  
  
"Well...no because (1) I have no idea who The Hammer is. (2) I didn't know that people even were sent here to spy on you, and (3) Um...no one apart from you and Ebony even knows that I exist here," I said laughing nervously. He blinked.  
  
"I thought you said you were a helper?" he questioned suspiciously.  
  
"I am," I said shrugging, "just not a helper hired by anyone."  
  
"So you came here because you felt like it?"  
  
"Um...yeah."  
  
".....Weird."  
  
"Yeah, I guess," I said laughing. He looked at me hard for a long time before speaking again.  
  
"You know, you could easily be lying," he said finally, "a lot of the others were. So why is it that I believe you?"  
  
I didn't reply. I just smiled at him before both our gazes returned to the window. I knew that we had reached some form of understanding, and it was a comfort to me.  
  
End chapter. Alright, it was a long wait for this chapter and it isn't even very good, I am so sorry. But I need a few sort of bridging chapters because if I just rush into things it could ruin the whole fic. So please bear with me, it does get better than this, in my opinion anyway. In the meantime, please review! 


	9. Ties of Friendship

Hm, I sure haven't updated in a long time. (Brushes cobwebs off of story) I was suffering from the dreaded writers block! I'm very sorry if some of you nice people have completely given up on me now! I'll try to update faster from now on.

Before I start the chapter, here's my thank-you's….

Masachan: Good question, but don't worry everything will be explained in time. I have most of what is going to happen in the story worked out, but if you think something doesn't make sense then please point it out to me! Thankies for your nice review!

Adam: Nope, no more review requirements. There's a small part devoted to Zeo at the end of this chapter, I hope you like it! I think he will be involved in the story a bit more from now on… As for Tala…well you said I wasn't to tell you. And Bio-Volt, again I wasn't to tell you. Yeah I think I made Ray pretty dumb at some parts in this story . Well, at least he always comes to his senses eventually, right? I know it's a bit weird that I made little Kai actually admit that he trusts him, but I just couldn't resist! I was caught in the sweet, sappy moment! Thanks for your approval! Thanks again for reviewing, please tell me what you think of this chapter! (sorry if it's a bit long!)

Moon Comix: dude, they're like six years old. Aw, you think my story is heart-warming? Well that's nice.-)Thanks for reviewing.

Thanks to everyone else that reviewed!

Chapter 9: Ties of Friendship

"OW! Ack, stupid thing."

I watched with slight amusement as Kai and Ebony tried to fix the broken window-frame in their dorm. The part Ebony had been working on had splintered suddenly and cut her hand. Kai, as sympathetic as ever, rolled his eyes.

"I told you not to push it so hard," he said, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't disguise his concern for his friend, "is it alright?"

He went to take a look at the injured hand but I stopped him.

"It's ok, you keep working on the frame, if I can't help with that at least I can tend to the wounded," I told him. (It hadn't taken them long to notice that unless I concentrated really hard, I went right through things. I was getting better at staying solid now, but I didn't want to cause an accident by letting my focus slip and something I was meant to be holding falling and hurting someone. That was why I wasn't helping with the window frame.) He nodded and obliged, shooting me a grateful smile. He may be good at fixing things, but when it came to helping people he wasn't quite so adept. We'd have to work on that. But for the time being…

"I don't think it's too bad…" I said as I looked at the small cut on Ebony's finger.

"Uh, yeah that one isn't too bad," she said nervously, "but what about…"

She turned her hand over to reveal a large gash running across her palm. Trust me, if I hadn't already seen worse with Kai's injuries in the abbey, I would've fainted at the sight of it. I wondered why she wasn't crying. I looked at her face and saw tears glittering in her violet eyes but she was biting her lip hard so not to let them fall. I guessed she probably didn't want to cry in front of Kai. Oh well, the gash looked pretty nasty. I dug in my bag (which I took with me every night now) and pulled out the first aid kit. I have to say I think it was more frequently used on Ebony and Kai than it ever was on me.

This was a few weeks after me and Kai's whole staring-out-the-window-and-occasionally-talking thing happened. Well it was a few weeks for me at least, I think for them it was a bit longer. I've been back a few times since then, and I think things are definitely looking up. Kai and Ebony both seem to trust me more (hopefully all ideas of me being another spy are out of their heads. Sure seems that way thankfully), Ebony was starting to open up a bit more to me and even Kai was starting to talk more. Shock horror, huh? In fact, the only thing that bugged me was that I hadn't asked Ebony yet about what she had meant that first night she had seen me. You know, the whole 'But you already knew that, right?' thing. There just never seemed to be an opportune moment.

A few hours later all three of us were up sitting on the roof of the orphanage, watching the sun go down. Well, as best we could, it was kind of hard to see because of all the dingy buildings. Usually when I arrived it would be late morning or early afternoon (sometimes earlier) and I would be with them the whole day. I think it was an infinite improvement over my short, nightly visits to the abbey. (I had figured that it had been night at the abbey since Kai always fell asleep after a while.)

We sat in comfortable silence for quite a long time and after a while Ebony fell asleep right there and then. Normally we would have woken her, but tonight we decided that she deserved a rest. After I had bandaged her hand the owner of the orphanage, Mr Hammern, (who I had discovered to be the infamous 'Hammer') had staggered into the room, red-faced and totally out of it as usual, and demanded to know why Ebony wasn't downstairs cleaning the kitchen floors. Ebony had told him that she had cleaned them yesterday so it wasn't her turn to do it again today. Kai had added (none too politely) that kitchen floors don't need washing every day anyway, but that had only succeeded in making the man furious. He had grabbed Ebony and dragged her downstairs, all the way raving at her and asking if she and Kai were questioning his 'authority'. The last thing we heard from Ebony from then until she returned exhausted in the evening had been her terrified cries for the man to let her go. As you can guess, her pleads had fallen upon deaf ears. Or intoxicated ones anyway. When she got back she just said that he had made her wash the floors again, but both me and Kai saw her red eyes and noticed that the back of her shirt was tattered and speckled with blood. We didn't push the subject though; I just mentally decided to look at the obvious injuries later. So now it was just me and Kai sitting there with Ebony sleeping on his shoulder.

"Kai?" I said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think about getting out of here? You know, out of this place, this orphanage, and finding a home?"

He looked thoughtful. Just then a small bird flew past and his gaze followed it.

"Sometimes," he said hesitantly, "sometimes I dream that one day I could escape, fly away like the bird there. Maybe find someplace to live…a family," the last words were said very quietly but I just caught them.

"So why don't you?" I asked, "I think you could easily escape, The Hammer (yes, even I refer to him as that now) is always either drunk or hung-over, he doesn't pose much of a threat to you."

"I couldn't leave," he said sadly, "not without Ebony. And I don't think she'd be strong enough to make it far…"

We both looked at the sleeping girl. For the first time I saw a glimmer of sense in what the Kai of my own time always used to say to us:

'_There's no point in having friends, they do nothing but tie you down and hold you back.'_

Ok so maybe those weren't his exact words, but you get the general idea. The others and I had always been adamant when he had started on that subject and told him he was wrong. But maybe it was partly true; the only thing stopping Kai from leaving this dump was Ebony. I'm not saying that I fully agree with Kai's whole loner theory, I know for a fact that friends make life a lot more fun, it was just now that I was beginning to see his reasoning behind all his distancing himself. Now that I think about it, a whole lot of things about the Kai in my own time have started to make more sense since I started time-travelling or whatever you want to call it.

"But I might be able to go soon," he continued hopefully, "because there's been a man and a lady coming here quite a lot and I heard them telling The Hammer that they want to adopt a little girl. And, I see them looking at Ebony a lot," he concluded triumphantly.

"So you think they might adopt Ebbie?" I asked him, although it was rather apparent that this was his point.

"Yes. I hope so anyway," he admitted, "cos she always cries at nights and when I ask her what's wrong and she's still kinda half-sleeping, she says 'I want my mum' and stuff. I think she needs a mum and dad."

I froze momentarily. I had never considered the possibility that Ebony might have memories of her parents. How awful must that be for a kid, to have had parents right there and then suddenly have them snatched away from you?

"What about you?" I asked suddenly, "do you think you need parents?"

"No," he said immediately, but behind his usual self-confident, proud expression I could see doubt.

"No?" I questioned.

"Well…maybe it wouldn't be so bad having parents. But I don't think I really NEED them," he said shrugging. I thought about this. When the Bladebreakers had been in Russia and discovered that Voltaire was Kai's grandfather, we had asked him about his family (A/N – I know that wasn't in the TV series but face it, they don't show everything in the series. I think realistically if you found out your friend's grandfather was an evil tyrant you would ask them about the rest of their family), but he hadn't mentioned any parents so I had guessed that they were either dead or involved in Bio-Volt in some way too. But then again I didn't know if either of those theories was correct. Well, no time like the present to find out.

"What about your real parents, do you know where they are?" I asked casually. He immediately stiffened.

"No, I lost my memory just before I came here so I don't know anything about them. And I don't want to either," he said decisively. I wondered if he hadn't been hit on the head that night whether he would have had memories of his parents. I hoped not, because if he had then I was directly responsibly for him forgetting…

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because they weren't there when I woke up alone in a strange place bleeding from the head!" he snapped, but he obviously hadn't wanted me to know that he thought about it like that. Which was understandable, it was a pretty stupid way to look at it. For all he knew he could have been kidnapped or something and his parents could be looking for him desperately right now. It was something like self-pity his thoughts were forming from.

"Well how about when your memory comes back we could try and find them?" I asked encouragingly. His reaction seemed to surprise even him.

"NO!" he shouted standing up, "my real parents are either dead or didn't want me, end of story!" And with that he stormed inside. I stared after him in surprise, Ebony likewise but a little sleepily since when Kai had jumped up she had been jerked awake.

"He's in a good mood," she commented, yawning.

"Yeah," I agreed smiling wryly, "I think we should leave him alone for a while. Apparently that subject's been gnawing at him for a while now."

"Yeah, he never really talked to me about his family without getting mad," she said, leaning her head on my arm instead. I gave her a hug and let her doze there. She was probably the more normal of the two of them, unlike Kai she wanted attention and for people to like her and hug her and so on like most other kids their age. But then again, maybe that was just because she was a girl and he a boy. Suddenly a thought struck me. How had she known we were talking about family if she had been asleep?

'Maybe she had been kind of half-awake the whole time we were talking,' I reasoned with myself, but she had looked rather surprised when Kai had stood up. Remember what I said earlier about the opportune moment? I thought this was as opportune as it was going to get.

"Ebbie," I said, "were you listening to what me and Kai were saying?"

"No," she answered with another yawn, "I was sleeping."

"Then, how did you know we were talking about family?"

She paused and gave a small sigh.

"I'm not sure Ray," she said finally, "sometimes I just know things and I don't even know how I know them….does that make sense?"

"Sort of," I said dubiously, "you mean like the first time you saw me you knew that I already knew your names?" I almost kicked myself for saying that, now the whole thing about 'but how did you already know our names?' was going to come. But to my surprise it didn't.

"Yes, just like that," she said and fell asleep again. It then occurred to me that she might already know how I knew their names. It could be another one of those things that she just knew. It was a bit unnerving, was she psychic or something? I just hoped that if it was a psychic ability (nothing would surprise me now) then it would just stay the way it was now, not causing her any trouble. Because if it became too powerful she could find herself in some trouble….

"Kai?" I called into the darkness. I had put Ebony in her bed but found that Kai wasn't in the room at all. I had checked most of the other rooms but he hadn't been there either. Now I had come across an almost empty room that looked like it was used for storage.

"Kai," I called again. I heard a rustle of movement come from somewhere to the left. I wandered into the room, willing my eyes to adjust more quickly to the dark. Eventually I found him, sitting hunched up behind a pile of boxes.

"So there you are," I said, "are you alright?"

He didn't say anything for a moment.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm sorry I shouted."

"It's alright."

"I just get angry when people ask me about my family. I don't know why."

"I said it's alright," I repeated. The subject was obviously a sore spot for him, and there was no point in me making it worse for no reason.

"Come on," I said, "it's late, and our beloved Mr Hammern wouldn't want you collapsing with tiredness tomorrow while sweeping the floors."

He looked up at me and I smiled. He gave a small almost-smile back because he knew I wasn't angry. Sigh, I don't think I can picture ever being angry with that kid.

(Next morning)

"Hey guys! Guys, wake up!"

I groaned sleepily. What was Tyson doing up before everyone else? He must be sick or something…

"Come on, get your lazy butts out of bed!"

He's one to talk about laziness.

"HURRY UP!"

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on," Max grumbled, dragging himself out of his sleeping bag. I did likewise. Glancing over, I saw that Kai was already up and gone. Well no surprise there. But Tyson, up at….hm, what time was it anyway? I checked the clock. 7:30 am! Wow, he must be really sick. Either that or…

"There's a tournament on in a few weeks! A notice about it just arrived!" Tyson yelled, obviously unable to hold it in anymore. Well, that explains the early rising. He likes nothing more than a bit of competition.

"Don't get too excited Tyson, it's probably just some amateur tournament or something…" Chief warned tiredly. He was obviously just out of bed too, his hair was even more messy than usual and his glasses were askew. He took the notice off of Tyson and inspected it.

"Hm, well I guess I was wrong…" he said finally, "we're expected to compete; some team from Russia have challenged us."

"Not the Demolition Boys?" Max asked quizzically.

"Nope, they call themselves Team X-ploziv," he replied. (A/N – That's said basically like 'explosive' )

"Never heard of them," I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Me neither," Chief admitted, "they must be reasonably new, or this is their first time blading at a competitive level."

"Not likely," I said, "If this is their first time in competition, I don't think they would be challenging the world champions to a match."

"True. Well if we're going to compete we have to hand in our entry form later today. Do you guys think we should?"

"What do you mean? Of course we should! By coming right out and challenging us like this, that team is trying to embarrass us! If we don't beat them we'll be laughing stocks!" Tyson cried.

"No, you just like the idea of going and showing off while beating a bunch of amateurs," came a voice from the doorway. We all turned to see Kai standing there. It's a bit scary how long he can stand in a room and go unnoticed.

"Hey Kai, you're team captain, do you think we should enter?" Max asked.

"I really don't see much point," he said coldly, "they sound to me like a bunch of school kids who got together and won some kind of local tournament and now think they're good enough to compete at world class level. Battle them if you want, but I'm not wasting my time."

And with that he walked out. We were all surprised by the spite in his voice. We all knew that he probably laughed, cried and got angry just like everyone else on the inside but it was only on rare occasions like this that he let us see a little of what was below the surface. I didn't think he had meant to say all that out loud. He's been looking completely drained lately. I didn't think it was really much to do with the dreams that were keeping him awake anymore; after all they weren't such bad memories now. But every night after I've paid a visit to the orphanage, I always wake up in my own bed only a few minutes after I left. It doesn't seem to matter how long I spend there, time hardly passes at all back in the real world. And every time I wake up, I can hear him awake too. He never seems to get back to sleep after that. It's a bit of a worry…

I suddenly became aware of Tyson's fingers snapping in front of my face. I jumped and blinked when I saw both him and Hilary staring down at me.

"Uh, hi Hilary, when did you get here?" I asked, embarrassed that I hadn't noticed her before. She sighed.

"I got here while you were in a little world of your own," she said snappily. Oh great, everyone's in a wonderful mood this morning. I guess Tyson must have called her about the tournament, why else would she be round this early? And that would explain her rotten mood too.

"We need to decide who's blading in this tournament," Chief said, "I know Tyson is, he wouldn't have it any other way. Do you want to Max?"

"Sure, why not?" he said, grinning. No unpleasantly early wakening could get him down.

"And you, Ray? Want to blade the third match?" Chief asked. I hesitated.

"Why don't we let Zeo spin the last match?" I suggested.

"Wha…?" Zeo jumped as he was suddenly brought into the conversation.

"Yeah, great idea!" Tyson yelled happily. He stopped when he saw the doubtful look on his friend's face, "that is, if that's ok with you."

"I don't know…" he said nervously. I could understand his hesitation. This would be his first time blading in public since everyone found out he was an android, it could be pretty hard for him. They might not even let him compete…no, I was sure Mr Dickenson would allow it. Zeo was no different, really. And anyone who thought he was, was going to find themselves in a spot of trouble with us.

"Go on, Zeo," I said, "it'd be good to see how much all that training you've been doing has paid off."

He looked at me for a moment. He was scared, I could see that. But if he didn't face his fear soon then maybe he never would…

"Alright, I will," he said suddenly his face full of determination.

"Alright!" Tyson whooped, grabbing Zeo's hand and dragging him off for more training while Kenny started filling in our entry form. I smiled, this was going to be one interesting tournament.

End chapter. Ah wasn't it sappy? Whoa, I thinkit was pretty long though. So what did you all think? Overly sappy? Generally pathetic? Any good at all? Well whatever your opinions are, review and let me know please! Until next time, bye-bye!


	10. Battle for Acceptance

Adam: Yay, another review! Well it's a good thing you didn't have to email me…cos I don't think my email address is even up on fanfiction. Is it? (Panic!) Glad to hear you prefer longer chapters. I'm like that too, but some people just don't like having a lot to read! Ray may end up thinking just that, but every time he does it's inevitable that Kai will turn around and do something he didn't quite expect. Yeah there's a lot of darkness there…but as someone once said, to rid yourself of darkness one only has to turn on the light! Ehe, excuse the cheesy metaphor. I think there will be some 'light' in this fic, but first it'll get a lot darker (cries). Thank you for agreeing on that :-) What do you mean it makes sense that Ebony is psychic? As for Max, he was suffering from some kind of sugar-hangover I guess… ;-) I know, I know, I normally hate new teams coming into stories but I felt I had to do it this time! Don't worry, they play a really small part, in fact I think this is the only chapter they are in. But even though they only have a minor role, I think they're appearance is quite important to the story. I think you'll understand once you read this chapter… Um, the confrontation isn't going to be for quite a while as far as I can see…I have a lot planned for little-Kai so the story will probably be more about him for a long time. Yes I think the block is gone, thank the lord! Hope you like this chapter! (More Zeo! Yay, writing about him is becoming a lot more fun now!)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You're all awesome! (Bows)

Chapter 10: Battle for Acceptance

It was the day of the tournament. Well, it wasn't much of a tournament really. There had only been five other teams competing (and that's including Team X-ploziv) and we had already won our way to the finals. All our battles so far had been over before they had even started. They were all amateurs and it had taken a lot of convincing to stop Tyson from totally showing off by sending their blades right out into the audience. I just hoped that Team X-ploziv posed slightly more of a challenge. There was nothing worse than winning a prize when you haven't even had to try hard for it.

Right now we were sitting in our locker room, waiting for the final battle to be announced. Tyson was pacing impatiently.

"How much longer, you guys?" he whined.

"Not much longer, Tyson," Chief replied in the sort of voice an exhausted parent would use on an impatient child. I didn't bother answering. I was kind of worried about Zeo…he looked absolutely terrified right now. Understandably, of course. He hadn't battled in any of the other rounds; we had decided just to let him spin in the last battle of the final match, which would probably be the deciding battle of the whole tournament. But I was starting to think that maybe that had been a bad decision. It looked like he was feeling under a lot of pressure to win, his face was chalk white and he looked just about ready to pass out. He probably thought that if he lost he would be letting the whole team down.

"Hey," I said going over to him and sitting down, "you alright?"

He nodded. A silent lie.

"Nervous?" I asked. It was a stupid question really. He nodded again.

"Don't be," I said, "it doesn't matter to us whether you win or lose as long as you try your best. Just go and enjoy the game."

"Thanks Ray," he said, trying to smile like he usually did. But just then…

"Could the Bladebreakers please make their way to the stadium, please!" came the voice of DJ Jazzman.

The attempted smile vanished and the whiteness of his face took on an almost green hue. It wouldn't matter what I said to him right now, nothing would make him feel any better. As long as he knew we were behind him and he just went out there and did his best, I seriously didn't care whether he won or lost. But I knew the thought of losing again scared him. It was no wonder really, the last time he had lost a battle his father had completely rejected him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he did lose, at least then we could prove to him that something bad didn't happen every time you messed up. But still, if he won it would be great…he might regain some of his lost confidence.

As we entered the stadium the crowd erupted into whoops and cheers. I couldn't help but smile, it was nice to feel appreciated. Of course, Tyson had to lap up all the attention, prancing about yelling and blowing kisses to the audience.

"Thank you, my adoring fans!" he yelled, laughing goofily.

"Shut up," came a cold, grating voice from behind us. We all jumped and turned around, even though we all knew who it was.

"Hey, Kai," Max said, not noticing that our captain was in a particularly bad mood. I just hoped he didn't try to strike up a conversation with him or anything because he really looked ready to bite someone's head off.

"I thought you weren't coming," I said in surprise. He hadn't been here for any of the other matches, and had been completely uninterested when we had handed in our entry form.

"Changed your mind, did you?" Tyson grinned, "Well if you're looking for a battle then I'm sorry, but they're all taken! Max, Zeo and me have them all covered!"

While saying this he grabbed the above mentioned as if to show that they were indeed here. I was afraid that the sudden movement might cause Zeo just to throw up but he managed to cover his panic with a wobbly smile.

Kai glared darkly at Tyson.

"I'm not here to battle," he said, his voice practically a hiss, "but in case you hadn't noticed, you are supposed to be."

Dragoon's master blinked and turned around. Sure enough, his opponent was standing at the dish and Jazzman was looking at his wrist as if there were a watch on it.

"Oops, my bad," Tyson laughed, running over. I sighed, no matter how long you knew Tyson, his stupidity never ceased to amaze you. I saw Kai mutter something under his breath (probably swearing) and then retreat to the bench. I did likewise and eventually Max and Zeo followed.

"Why did you decide to come?" I asked. He was less liable to snap at me than any of the others. The worst I could get was a 'none of your business'.

"To watch," he said shortly, "I want to see if they've improved at all."

I paused before replying.

"Especially Zeo?" I said quietly. He didn't answer, but I could see it was true. Not that Kai would ever admit it, but I think he sees himself and Zeo as having something in common. And they do, I guess. They both have a messed up family. It really is a shame that Kai is so proud; if he softened up a bit he could probably help Zeo recover from the shock of learning his true identity and then losing his father. And maybe Zeo could help Kai come to terms with everything that's happened to him too. In fact, with a little kindness and effort, they could probably be friends…

Nah, it would never happen. We've known Kai for years now and he hardly even talks to us. What are the chances of him opening up now?

'Well,' I thought, smiling to myself, 'maybe the chances aren't too bad.'

If I kept on going back to that orphanage in Russia…maybe some things would change.

"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

I jerked out of my thoughts. Tyson's battle had started. I sighed; I had missed them announcing our opponents' names. I always listen for names, just in case I recognise someone. Well it's no big deal. I don't really know anyone from Russia anyway. Except a bunch of kids who are now probably either the same age as me if not older. Forgetting about it for the moment, I stood up to watch Tyson's battle.

It didn't last long. Tyson's green-haired opponent was good, but it soon became apparent that he was no match for the world champ. Everyone thought Tyson was sure to pull out a win, but then the tide began to turn. Wondering what the problem was, I looked up at the two bladers. The jade-haired boy was saying something to Tyson. I couldn't hear what was being said, but whatever it was it was making Tyson mad. And when Tyson got angry, he lost his concentration. Oh great, he was going to blow it.

I started to shout at him to calm down, but Kai told me to leave him.

"What?" I questioned.

"Tyson needs to learn to battle on his own," he replied, "and the only way for him to learn that is if someone takes him down off his high-horse."

I had to admit he was right. We all watched in silence as our team-mate's beyblade was sent flying from the dish. I heard Brad Best and AJ Topper (A/N – are those they're names? Oh well, you know who I mean, right?) making some remarks about how helpful we were being but I ignored them.

Tyson trooped back over to the bench, his head hung in shame.

"Ah, don't worry about it," I said, "Max'll win the next one, right?"

"You betcha!" the cheerful blonde replied, "one victory coming right up!"

And he did win, too. His opponent had been a lilac-haired girl of about the same age as us. She had been pretty good and the battle had gone on for some time, but in the end we emerged victorious. At least she was a good sport; she shook Max's hand and congratulated him before returning to her own team's bench.

This was what I had been afraid of. The scores were tied at one all and the winner of the tournament would be decided in the final battle. I had a feeling that Zeo would pass out somewhere during his battle if his nerves didn't kill him first.

"And now, the final battle of this short but exciting tournament, Zeo of the Bladebreakers against Cal of Team X-Ploziv!" Jazzman announced. My ears pricked up. Cal? No way, there was no chance, it was too coincidental…it couldn't be…gah, it was!

I gaped as the brown-haired boy – well he wasn't really much of a boy now, he had to what? Eighteen, nineteen? Possibly twenty? – stepped up to the dish. I was so gob smacked I forgot to wish Zeo good luck.

"Go for it dude!" Tyson called to him. He smiled weakly at us before stepping out into the spotlight.

The crowd went strangely quiet as he stepped into their field of view. Completely forgetting about Cal, I shifted my gaze to my team-mate to see how he was going to deal with this. What was with the audience? Were they just unsure how to react? Or did they have something against an android, who was really just an ordinary kid, blading with the rest of us? What was the big deal? But I guessed that if I hadn't been Zeo's friend before the truth was revealed, maybe I would have had my doubts now as well.

The two bladers prepared for launch. The entire stadium was filled with an eerie silence. I had my fingers crossed so hard I felt like the circulation was going to cut off.

"Uh…" Jazzman seemed unsure of what to do next. It wasn't normal for the crowd to be this hushed just before an important battle. In the end he just decided to do what he always did, "3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

The two beyblades shot into the dish and began circling one another. Cal made the first move but Ceronix swiftly dodged it. It seemed like Zeo had swallowed his nerves; he looked to be in top form.

I glanced over at Kai to see what he was thinking of the battle. But he wasn't really watching it. His eyes flicked between the two competitors, and when he looked at Cal it was as if he was trying to remember something. A flicker of deja'vu was in his eyes. I gulped. Would he remember?

"This looks like it will be an awesome battle! Come on all you people out there, show your support!" Jazzman shouted, obviously trying to make things more normal. It was unnerving. All that could be heard was the clashing of the two blades. What was wrong with these people?

The battle went on for ages. Cal was a better beyblader than he had seemed at first. But as the fight raged on, Zeo began to gain an advantage. Slowly, oh so slowly, Cal's blade began to be pushed towards the edge of the dish. Then, inevitably, he fought back at the last minute. As I watched them, I thought that even if Zeo lost this battle he should be proud of himself. I had never seen him blade so well with Ceronix before.

"COME ON, DUDE, I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS!"

I jumped about a foot in the air. Trust Tyson to break the sombre silence. The whole crowd turned to stare at the excited teen as he jumped up and down cheering like crazy. It was only then that they started to get into the game. A few half-hearted cries rang out and quiet clapping could be heard. It wasn't much but it was a million times better than before.

The battle came to a sudden and abrupt end. Zeo started channelling all the suppressed emotions he had been carrying around inside of him into this battle.

"Ceronix!"

The beyblade smashed into its opponent, sending it flying from the dish.

There was another complete hush. Cal looked stunned. Everyone did, in fact. I felt nervous, how was everyone going to react? I could only pray for a positive outcome.

Suddenly Cal grinned.

"Nice battle kid," he said, offering his hand. Zeo stared at it for a moment before taking it and shaking. Seeing this, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers and screams. Zeo stared around in surprise.

"YOU DID IT! YOU WERE AWESOME!"

Tyson ran over to the shell-shocked looking boy and tackled him to the ground.

"Tyson I…can't breathe…"

"Sorry dude. See I told you that you could do it! And look, everyone's cheering for you!"

Zeo looked around again at the sea of smiling faces.

"Really?"

"You betcha!"

I hadn't felt this relieved in a long time. It looked like the audience had finally accepted our newest team member. Tyson grabbed Zeo's arm and held it aloft in a gesture of victory. Zeo started laughing. I smiled to myself. I hadn't seen him this happy in a long time. He ran over to us.

"Did you see that? I actually won!" he gasped between fits of laughter.

"Of course you did. We knew you would all along," I said with a wink.

"Um, Kai, what did you think? I didn't let you down or anything, did I?"

He looked concerned now. I sighed mentally, if only he didn't care so much about what other people thought! I looked over at Kai. If he said something mean now I would punch him, mini version or no mini version.

"No. You did well," he said. Zeo's face immediately broke into a smile, "just make sure you keep it that way though." He added, just so as not to sound friendly. With that said he turned and strode away.

"Aw ignore Mr Moody Zeo, he's just jealous," Tyson declared.

I watched Kai's retreating back and shook my head. Why did he find it so hard just to say something nice to someone?

I turned my head in the direction of Team X-Ploziv. I still couldn't believe that that was Cal. And even if it was a different Cal he sure did look like the one I sort of knew. I smiled to myself, I thought the world was full of bizarre coincidences and I seemed to be falling subject to quite a few of them.

End chapter. What ya'll think? Please review and let me know. (Gives cuddly toys and cookies to all reviewers) Excuse the sappy chapter title, I just thought it had a kind of 'double meaning'. Anyone notice it?


	11. Bad News

Hi everyone! I'm updating! (Readers faint in shock) Hey, that's not funny!

I was happy that some people who read my other story have started reading this one too, thank you to all who reviewed! Here's a new chapter for you! But first my thank you list and answers to questions asked in reviews:

ThE-cUrSeD-oNe: why thank you! (Smile) I try really hard to make everything make sense according to what's happening in the future, and there's actually more stuff coming up in future chapters that are sort of like my theories behind how some of the things that occur in the future happened…and that made no sense…you'll understand when I write it. Anyway, thank you for being so kind as to review (bow)

Lunar Fire: Hehe, did you read my note? Thank you for reading this story, it's kind of disheartening when you have a quite popular story and then another one that hardly anyone seems to want to read, don't you think? Thank you very much (bow)

Ashla: I was considering Ebony but I thought it would be too predictable…and…I guess I was right! (Laugh) Thank you for your review (bow)

Aiden Lilith: o.O you know you really could have just reviewed once…Now it looks like I have more than 90 reviews when really I shouldn't…wait, why am I complaining? Lol, but why 10 reviews? They weren't that long. Well to answer your questions: little-Kai is evil in the other story (couldn't you tell? o.O), and well you'll just have to read and find out as I go along won't you? (Cheezy grin) It's nice to know my stories cheer you up (even though I get kinda depressed when I read this one…) and I must thank you for all your praise! (Bow)

Zimyoucoto: Thank you very much :) Sometimes it might seem like there are plot holes but I really just like to keep readers hanging for a while before I explain something so…well, you understand. Thank you for reviewing (bow)

Storm-of-insanity: I don't see how Cal could have been OOC if he's my own character...but I know what you mean. Fear not, there is an explanation for his change of heart later on. I think I said this before, but sometimes it seems like someone is out of character or something doesn't make sense but that's because this is a time-travel fic. Everything is explained eventually. And I know it was kind of obvious that it was going to be some of the characters from the orphanage that were going to be in the battle…that was kind of the idea. Thanks for reviewing and for being critical. I need more people to tell me what they don't like rather than just 'it's good, update'. So thank you. (Bows)

Adam: oh my goodness, you reviewed! Hooray! I was starting to lose hope. Ah, such little faith I have…Well Zeo always was one of my favorite characters from season 2 (I was furious when he just seemed to have vanished in Season 3…do none of the other characters notice that people are disappearing?) so he does have a somewhat larger role from now on…even though he doesn't come into this chapter at all. (I apologize!) About the confidence thing…somehow I think it worse to have been so close to your goal and then have it snatched away from you rather than just to be kicked out in round one. And no matter how far you get in a competition, when you lose your self-esteem does tend to take a bit of a beating up over it. I see your point though, but frequently after a loss it can be hard to see how far you came beforehand. Yes I didn't want to bring Zeo into the story suddenly acting all Kai-like because I thought 'Well if they can't help Kai right now, they can at least help him!' and so he kept most of his somewhat hyper personality, although he has changed a bit from the way he acted in the series. I had to make one member of the team lose their battle so that the scores would be tied and therefore the pressure would be higher on our favorite android (cruel, aren't I?) and, like you, I am sick of Tyson winning all the time when all his opponents seem to train a lot harder and quite a few of them seem to deserve the win a lot more than him. (Like in Season 3 when he battled Kai at the World Championships. HOW COULD HE BEAT KAI!) And even though I am an ever-faithful Kai-fan (banners and balloons) I am obligated to admit that Tyson does have his good points. And so that is why they were there :) Here is the new chapter; it is completely centered on the past which I think is new…not sure but anyway…hope you like it. Thank you very much for reviewing! (Review this chapter too? Please?)

Chapter 11: Bad News

"You're sure you left it here?"

"Yes, I already told you a thousand times!"

"Well it ain't here now, is it!"

"I'm telling you, I left it right here! Someone must have stole it!"

"I bet you just lost it."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Did NOT!"

"Don't start crying."

"I'm not crying!"

"Yes you are. By the way, your nose is running…"

This was the conversation I was welcomed with as I arrived.

Once the pair noticed my presence I was immediately bombarded with hellos and explanations as to what was going on, from which I managed to gather that Ebony couldn't find her beyblade and was now insisting that it had been stolen. Kai didn't quite believe her theory.

"How can you know that it's been nicked?" he demanded, "Maybe you just left it somewhere and forgot."

I almost laughed. I'd noticed that both of them were talking with more and more slang every time I visited.

"But I don't leave things and forget about them," Ebony sniffled. Kai had been right, she was crying.

"Come on you two, stop fighting," I said, wiping the small girl's tears away, "we'll find it, I'm sure it's here somewhere. What does it look like?"

"It's purple," she gulped, "with silver bits."

With this pinpoint description in mind I started looking. They were in their dormitory which isn't too big, and within a few minutes the three of us had searched high and low and found nothing.

"Don't worry, Ebbie," I said, "it'll turn up."

"Someone's took it," she said.

"How can you be so sure of that?" I asked her.

"I just know," she said, shrugging desperately. Ah, in that case she might be right. I had come to learn that things that she 'just knew' were usually correct or at least very near to the truth.

Just then we all heard raucous laughter from outside. They looked out the window but could see no one on the streets. I was told that it must be some of the kids out the back in the small play yard that was here. I was surprised, a play yard in a place like this?

"Maybe they know where it is," I suggested, "why don't we go ask?"

"Whatever," Kai said, "but this is stupid, why would someone steal her beyblade?"

"Cos they don't like me?" Ebony said. Kai didn't answer but strode out of the room and down the rickety stairs, probably on his way to interrogate the kids outside. He might show it in weird ways, but he cares for Ebony a lot.

"He's so mean sometimes," the little girl said, tears starting to leak out of her eyes again.

"I know…" I said, meaning it in more ways than one, "He doesn't do it on purpose though; he really just wants to look after you."

"Then why does he have to be so nasty?" she asked.

"Because he's a boy. Sometimes boys find it hard to show that they like someone. Don't worry, he'll get over it soon enough," I assured her.

"I sure hope so," she said sadly, "he never used to be like that to me."

"It'll just be a phase…" I said, "I'll talk to him later."

"Thank you," she whispered. Just then an enraged cry from outside caught our attention. We turned and looked at each other for a moment before tearing down the stairs and out into the 'play yard'.

Well, some play yard it turned out to be. It looked as though it was used as a dump and there were all manners of dangerous junk lying around that any kid could hurt themselves on. I saw a bunch of boys climbing on an old burnt out car and a few girls tracing pictures on the dry dusty ground by dipping their fingers in petrol spilt from a nearby can. I could hardly believe my eyes.

I didn't have time to contemplate any of this though because I suddenly realized what the source of the noise had been. Kai was standing glaring heatedly at the older boy, Cal. It was almost laughable for me, since I'd seen the Kai that I know in the future looking at the older version of Cal just earlier that day.

"You give it back right now!" Kai ordered angrily. It took me a moment to work out what he was talking about. Cal had Ebony's beyblade?

"Make me, Squirt," he sneered. It felt strange to hear my old friendly nickname for the small boy being used as an insult. A strange look crossed Kai's face as he heard it. This was the second time today I was wondering whether he'd remember something. But once again he recovered himself and shoved the feeling of dejavuh aside.

"Fine!" he said, "I'll battle you for it. The winner gets it."

"Oh my goodness, I thought the loser would get it," Cal said sarcastically, pulling out his own beyblade: a primitive form of the one he had used to battle Zeo today.

"Shut up, you think you're so smart," Kai said, getting Dranzer ready, "you're not so smart."

I was a bit worried. The older version of Cal had proved to be a talented blader today, and although I doubted that he was anywhere near as good as a ten-year old, he would probably still be strong for his age. But then again so was Kai. And he had done almost nothing but beyblade since he had been born.

"Hey it's a beyblade battle!" I heard the other kids exclaim in delight. They all abandoned their games to come and watch. It was kind of sad, there were all the kids who came to watch us beyblade at tournaments and events and yet there were kids like these who couldn't afford anything like that and the only blading they could watch was among themselves.

"3…2…1…Let it rip!" they all shouted in unison. The two boys let their blades fly.

"Dranzer, go!" Kai commanded with authority beyond his years.

"Smash his blade!" Cal yelled to his own dark green blade.

The beyblades crashed together. I was impressed, for kids they were really good.

"Go, Kai!"

"Yeah, come on, you can win!"

I blinked and looked around me. All the smaller kids were cheering on Kai. I remembered what that boy had said about him being their 'hero'. Was this what he had been talking about?

The older kids weren't cheering either way, but all those younger than six were loudly supporting their chosen blader. I smiled to myself; Kai sure was popular around here.

"Jeez, will someone make them all shut up?" Cal complained. He said it as though the chanting was throwing off his concentration, but he was probably jealous too.

"Why don't YOU shut up and battle?" Kai suggested coldly.

"You asked for it!" the older boy said.

As the battle went on, Kai started to look almost bored.

"Will you stop holding back?" he said to Cal.

"I…I'm not holding back," the older boy replied looking surprised at the request. Kai also looked somewhat surprised as he heard the answer.

"Well in that case…" he signalled for Dranzer to go in for the kill. The phoenix did her job, and moments later Cal's beyblade was lying smoking a few feet away.

"Wha…?" Cal started to say but was cut off by a deafening cheer from the younger kids. Kai looked around in alarm at the noise before being bombarded by happy pre-schoolers. The scene was pretty adorable, really. Kai tried half-heartedly to push them off him but eventually gave up and resigned himself to waiting until it was time for their afternoon nap. Once all his loving fans had detached themselves from him, he marched up to Cal.

"Our deal?" he said. The older boy was looking despondently at his slightly blackened beyblade. He looked up at Kai and gave him a glare to rival the slate-haired boy's own.

"Fine, take the stupid thing, it's not like I need it," he snarled, throwing a purple beyblade at him.

"By the looks of things, you might just end up needing it," Kai said coldly, turning and walking away. It never ceased to startle me how mature he sounded when he was in this kind of mood. Not like a kid at all. When he was just with me and Ebony he sounded mostly just like any other kid his age, give or take a few things he came out with, but right now…it was weird. Unnatural, almost.

"Here, Ebbie," he said, thrusting his trophy into her hands. She smiled up at him.

"Thank you Kai," she said happily, "See, I told you someone stole it."

She hadn't meant it to offend him but he bristled.

"Don't act so smart," he snapped at her.

"I-I'm sorry," she said in a very small voice. I frowned, it wasn't like him at all to be so mean to her.

"Yeah you should…" he started but was interrupted.

"Woooooo, Ebony and Kai are gonna KISS!" an older girl jeered.

"Ebbie and Kai, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n…"

"ARE NOT!" both of them shouted at the same time.

"Stupid…" Kai muttered to himself, pushing past me and Ebony and going back into the building. Ok, now I was really going to give him a talking to.

…

That sounded weird considering he's actually my team captain. I wonder if the Kai in my time actually does remember any of this. Maybe he just doesn't think that the me here is the same me that he knows in the future…does that even make sense?

I waited until later that night to say anything. Once Ebony was in bed, I went in search of Kai. I had a pretty good idea as to where he would be. Standing out on the window ledge, I pulled myself up onto the roof. Sure as fate, he was sitting there sullenly, scowling into the distance. He didn't even acknowledge my presence as I climbed up and sat next to him.

There was a hell of a long silence. I tried to think of something to say that would convince him to talk to me and not just yell. And considering the type of mood he had been in earlier, this was much easier said than done. Eventually, to my surprise, he spoke up by himself.

"Is Ebbie upset?" he asked quietly.

"Yes I think she is," I replied, deciding that honesty would be the best approach in this situation, "but I bet she'd be less upset if she only knew why you were being so…so…"

"Nasty. Mean. Horrible. I know," he said. I looked at him.

"If you know that you're doing it then…why?" I questioned. He sighed.

"You remember I told you about that man and lady who were looking for a little girl?" he said finally.

"Yes?" I said even though I could already see where this was going.

"They chose Ebbie. They're taking her away soon," he said, pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his face in them.

End chapter. Jeez I am so cruel sometimes.

Little-Kai: sometimes? All the time! Stop giving me a tragic life and let something good happen to me for a change!

All in time, oh moody one, all in time.

Please review!


	12. Breaking News

Adam: Oh I am SO sorry thatI haven't updated in so long! This chapter just didn't want to be written and also I am just plain lazy sometimes so...I didn't realize it had been so long (cries) Well, I'm afraid this chapter isn't very long either but maybe it's better than nothing? Um...below is the reply i wrote to your last review at the time you wrote it. You might not know what it's talking about because it's been so long but...I thought I'd leave it in here. Here it is:

(Blinks) I don't think I've ever heard that quote in a movie. Actually I probably have but these sorts of things never stick in my mind. Well it makes sense anyway (Laugh) I seriously think the people at Beyblade just randomly forget about certain characters after a while -- They so dumb. It would be so great if a surprise 4th series was made and Zeo appeared in it. Except he'd be older. And that would be cool. Um…I don't think Ray was exactly lying to Ebony. He knows fine well what Kai is like in his own time but because the younger version is so different he too was quite taken aback by his behaviour. (Like I said, every time he thinks he has the kid worked out, 'boom' something pops up to put him back on his toes.) Besides, little-Kai isn't going to be like that until his teens as you shall see in this chapter. (It kind of explains a few things…) Sorry for the misspelling, my computer's spell-check didn't seem to be familiar with déjà vu. But it knows it now and I don't know why…it's out to spite me I tell you. Curse Doctor Brown and his infinite wisdom! This is getting very complicated for me now. However I do hope to end the story in a logical way without missing anything out. If I fail then I apologize in advance. I have an idea as to how everything is going to play out but it may alter a few things in the TV series. (Which isn't really a bad thing if you think about it…) Hey, I'm the authoress and even I doubt that Ray will consider anything before diving headlong in. He just wants to help his friend so badly that he doesn't stop to think that he might totally screw up the present. (Sigh) I was originally going to make it Tyson going back in time but then I realized that he would definitely wreck Kai's whole life so…it was changed. Hehe yes the darkness has returned. This story will have a lot of ups and downs in it. One minute everything will be fine, and then it will all be plunged into a black vortex of doom. Aren't I just so nice? So nobody start thinking that it's going to be hunky-dory from here on in! I'm sorry the last chapter was a bit short; I thought that would be a good place to end it. I hope this one satisfies you more. Thank you for reviewing, please do so again!

Thank you so much to everyone else who reviewed! You are the nicest people in the world! (Hands out cookies, candy and plushies of Little-Kai.) I'd list you all seperately but I think I've taken up enough space...I'll do better with my thank yous in the next chapter (which, hopefully, you won't have to wait another six months to appear).

Chapter 12: Breaking News

Despite having already pretty much worked out what he had been about to say, the news hit me like a blow. I stared at the sad little orphan next to me. What would he do without his only real friend? It wouldn't be a good thing for him to count on me too much since any night I spent here could easily be my last. How long would the strange time-travel portal I had somehow opened remain in existence for? I could go to visit him one night and it just wouldn't work. And if he had no one else…I didn't even want to think about what he might do.

"What does Ebony think about all this?" I asked after a while.

"She doesn't know yet," came the muffled reply.

"What?" I had always thought that in adoption, the child in question had to be informed before everything was agreed. Well it wasn't as if the legal system was doing much here. That thought worried me, if these people were coming to adopt from a place like this and weren't even questioning the rock-bottom conditions and the fact that the owner seemed to be just handing the kids out to any random person who walked in, maybe they weren't as good as I'd come to hope. Come on, this place broke every Health and Safety law ever to walk the earth. Any well-meaning adult would at least report it.

"How do you know about it then?" I questioned. He lifted his head slightly. His face was still pretty much hidden but I could see his large eyes looking at me.

"I listen to what goes on," he said. I almost laughed.

"You were eavesdropping weren't you?" I said.

"What does that mean?" he asked, finally sitting up straight again.

"Eavesdropping? Means you were listening when you shouldn't have been," I told him. He went slightly red.

"Ok so I was eavesdropping then," he admitted, "but I thought I would go crazy if I didn't find out what was going on."

"Well knowing the truth certainly hasn't made you any happier," I remarked.

"But that's not important," he said, "even if the truth makes you sad, it's better to know it."

I always found it creepy how adult he could sound without even meaning to.

"Ok…" I said, "so what do you think about these people? The people who are going to adopt Ebbie."

He paused.

"I'm not sure," he said finally, "when I first saw them they looked nice enough. But now that they've been here more…there's just something I'm not sure about them."

"What are you not sure about?"

"I don't know, it's just something…you know like when Ebbie has those weird times when she just 'knows' stuff?"

I nodded.

"It's like that," he concluded, "I just know that they aren't as perfect as they look."

"And it's not like Mr Hammern is going to notice," I said.

"Oh duh."

"Well excuse me," I laughed at his sarcasm, "but tell me, why does all of this mean you have to be so nasty to Ebony?"

He was silent for a while. He tilted his head back and gazed into the starry yet smoke-veiled heavens.

"Because," he said, "if I'm going to lose her anyway…I might as well make it hurt. I'll make it hurt so much that she'll leave without a struggle. If she hates me then maybe she'll never look back. Maybe she'll never cry over me or worry about me ever again. I think that would be the best thing for her…to start again without having to think about me or this place. That's what I want."

I stared wide-eyed. That was so selfless. Everyone has their own way of letting go of someone and this was his way. The way that would benefit the person leaving, but was also bound to leave him sad and alone. And yet he was doing it anyway. But…maybe it wasn't the right way.

"Listen," I said softly, "I know you think that what you're doing is best for Ebbie. But…she's not the type of person to get angry or hate. I don't think she could ever hate you."

He looked at me as though he wished that could be true. It was true. Why couldn't he see that?

"But," I said, "She is the type of person to get upset. She thinks that maybe she's done something wrong."

"I guess I should have known that she would blame herself," he said rolling his eyes.

"What did you think she would do?" I asked.

"I thought maybe she'd just think I didn't like her," he said shrugging, "or that she'd finally realize how…y'know…mean I really am."

"Don't say that about yourself," I scolded, "if that was true then you never would have made friends with Ebony in the first place."

"It was her who made friends with me," he said with a small reminiscent smile, "I don't think I'll ever know why."

"Probably because she could tell that you needed someone, otherwise you _would_ end up bitter and cold," I said thinking of the Kai in my own time.

"Maybe…" he said, closing his eyes.

"But this being unkind to her…it should stop. It's not the right way to deal with this."

He sighed.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, scrambling over the edge of the roof and lowering himself back into the dormitory.

"Where are you going?" I called.

"To get Ebbie," came his small voice.

"What, you're going to tell her now? Are you sure this is really a good time?" I asked.

His head reappeared.

"Well you could disappear at any minute like you always do," he said rolling his eyes again, "and I want you to be here when she finds out."

He vanished back into the room and I could hear him attempting to wake Ebony quietly. A few moments later the two of them were up on the roof, Ebony looking from my face to his questioningly. I braced myself. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"What is it?" the small girl asked nervously after a short period of silence. I looked over at Kai. The look on his face told me that he couldn't bring himself to tell her. I cleared my throat.

"Well, um…" I said uncertainly, "Kai's told me that there's a man and lady who've been coming here, looking for a little girl. And…they've shown an interest in you and…"

I stopped here because her face had gone the colour of chalk. Kai looked at her worriedly. She didn't look very well.

"No!" she shouted after a short silence, "No, I won't go with them, I WON'T!"

"Ebbie, shhh," I said, startled by the outburst, "you'll wake everyone up."

"No, no, no, no, NO!" she screamed, crouching down and hiding her face in her knees with her hands behind her head. I wondered if she might be in pain. Kai was staring at her with some sort of muted terror in his eyes.

"Ebbie what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I can see them," she cried, "I can see them Kai!"

"What? They aren't here," Kai said, sounding confused. I looked around. There was nobody awake in the dormitory and the street below was deserted. What was she talking about?

The small girl was now crying uncontrollably. Kai reached out tentatively to lay his hand on her arm. When this only made her scream louder he drew back. He looked up at me helplessly.

"I can see things happening," she sobbed, "but they haven't happened yet. But they're bad things. It hurts…make it stop, make it STOP!"

I finally understood. Was this her 'power' at work? She rocked back and forth on her heels, holding her head and keeping her eyes tightly shut.

In a very uncharacteristic act of compassion, Kai went over and sat beside his distressed friend and put his arms around her. I really couldn't help but stare. He caught my eye and gave me a meaningful look. I got the feeling that he was thinking something along the lines of 'laugh and die'. Laughing was really the last thing I was thinking on doing right now. Except maybe I would laugh for joy that maybe something good had come of me leading him out of Bio-Volt. But then again, that good thing was about to be taken away from him, wasn't it? I wasn't sure whether I really wanted to be there on the day of Ebony's departure.

(Back in the present time…)

"Ok, who here is in favour of my theory that Kai has been kidnapped and replaced by some weird alien that is even more mean and grouchy than he is?" Tyson said, putting his arms up behind his head. I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored him. He was saying things like that more and more frequently.

"I don't know…" Zeo said, "But he has been acting kind of strange lately, hasn't he…?"

I didn't say anything, but I knew exactly what he meant. I didn't understand why though. I knew his dreams weren't particularly bad anymore (even though last night had been pretty traumatic) so why were they still bothering him so much? Was it just because he couldn't remember them when he woke up, so he was frustrated and taking it out on us? Or was the fact that he was having these dreams every night affecting the quality of his sleep? Maybe that was the case, since this morning when had I woken up he had looked as though he was barely up himself and was still folding up his sleeping bag. Normally he was up and gone before I even took the first steps back towards consciousness. But what was I meant to do? Would it be worse for him if I didn't go back every night?

"I think that training has been making everyone grumpy lately," Hilary said, standing up, "Why don't we take a day off?"

"Pft, you really think Kai would let us?" Tyson said, forgetting his 'theory' for the moment.

"He's not getting a choice!" Hilary declared, "He's probably the one who needs this most!"

"Heh, I'd like to see you try and get him to admit _that_," Tyson muttered under his breath.

"But why do you think that is?" Max said suddenly, "Do you think he's been going off and doing extra training on his own or something? He really has been looking exhausted lately."

"I'm pretty sure that, whatever it is, it's none of our business," Hilary said, "But I vote that we take a break for today. You've all been looking great in training and there aren't any tournaments coming up, right?"

"I guess so," I said dubiously.

"Alright then, that settles it!" she announced, "No training today, we're heading out!"

"Out?" Tyson said suspiciously, "Where to?"

The next thing we all knew, we were seated outside a small café near the centre of town. Somehow or other, Hilary had even managed to drag Kai along. I was guessing that he had been too tired to put up much of a fight. Now he was sitting as far away from us as he possibly could whilst still staying at the same table. Looking at the moody expression on his face, I'd say he'd really rather not be here right now.

"Um...Kai?"

That was Zeo. I started listening more carefully to the conversation here. I didn't want Kai taking out his bad mood on the still-vulnerable android.

Kai gave him a half-hearted glare.

"What is it?" he said impatiently.

"Um...I was just wondering if...you were alright because...y'know, you've been looking tired and stuff and..."

He trailed off, obviously wishing he had never started this conversation since it was most likely that he was going to get his head bitten off. I was ready to dive in there at any moment to pull Zeo out of harm's way.

But...Kai surprised me.

"I'm fine,"he said, "Worry more about yourself, huh?"

He spoke gruffly but it was rather obvious that he wasn't even attempting to be unkind. And I suppose he had a point...Zeo had been looking tired and anxious lately too - probably his family problems catching up with him. And that 'injured' area on his arm still only had a bandage over it. I was pretty sure that it hadn't even been seen to. Could some serious damage have been done? The only one who would know would be Doctor Zagart...and I felt that the chances of him helping out were slim.

Zeo looked surprised for a moment, then he laughed.

"Haha, there's nothing wrong with me," he said, "I guess I'm still just kind of...shell-shocked about everything, is all."

Then came the greatest surprise of all. The two of them actually started talking. Like...conversation talking. Luckily none of the others noticed, since one teasing word would probably been enough to stop Kai talking completely for the rest of time.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. Even if things were getting tumultous in the past, at least the present was looking up.

End chapter. FINALLY! I thought this would never be done. And I know it's not a very good installment after a six month wait. I'll try and make the next chapter better. And I'll try and write it quickly. But, sadly, I can't make any promises on that. (Laugh). But never think that I've given up on this story. I don't think I'll ever give up on it until it's finished! Well, until next time, please review!


	13. Goodbye

Here I am again, with chapter 13! (Cheers to self). But before I begin…

Thank you to:

Adam: Thank you, as always! Yes, I too hate time-travel fics where nothing is changed… (Unless of course the possible change would have been detrimental. But I don't think that's where this story is going.) Ah, what change are you thinking of? (If it's the same one as I have planned then…that would be embarrassing.) I'm not sure when the first major change will take place in the future. Something big is soon going to HAPPEN in the future which has been CAUSED by the past, but it's not exactly a change. (I don't think so anyway…) And that is one or two chapters away, anyway. (Hehe…I keep you all in such suspense.)

Yes when I remember my original idea, it frightens me to no end that I had such a thought. After one visit from Tyson the teenage Kai would just disappear in a puff of smoke.

Yeah well, little kids are like that. You know, like how they tease the ones they like? It was sort of like that. (And Ray did something right for once! Without taking the risk of destroying the future as we know it!)

Poor Zeo…but if you think about it, if his father has abandoned him, then how would his arm get fixed? Oh, oh, what's the dark scenario? You can't mention these things to me and then not explain them! If you don't want to write it in a review then would you mind sending it to me in one of those personal messages? (I'm not trying to steal your idea, I just want to know!)

Well I don't know about 'loyal reviewers' (I don't think I quite merit that) but here is the next chapter anyway. I hope you enjoy! (It is also longer than the others. I hope that's a good thing.)

Moon Comix: Hey, hey, no dropping hints in reviews! 8( LOL, poor kittykrisdragon. Thanks for your review!

Kai-Dranzer: Wow, you actually like it enough to read all 12 chapters…? I'm honoured! Well I can't really tell you what's going to happen in future chapters, but I hope you enjoy this one and continue to read. Thanks for reviewing!

bladz-azeri: Smiles? Sweet words?… (Laughs insanely) Nope, can't see that happening any time soon. Thanks for your review!

Also thanks to Rie Morino, ghostymangarocker, Ray-Tiger-Cat (email…?), SchoolBoredom, Bleedingtears and darkwaterwolf.

I wanted to use a song in this chapter…but then I remembered that there's some rule against putting songs in fics now. Aw, that's annoying. Oh well. You know, if there was a theme song for this story (?) I think it would be 'Look Through My Eyes' from that movie 'Brother Bear' (which I do not own). Don't ask me why…

Chapter 13: Goodbye

Well…today was the day.

I helped Ebony button up her coat. She didn't want to wear it. Her new 'parents' had bought it for her. She didn't like it.

Her face was pale and her expression blank and staring. I could tell she was trying her very hardest not to cry. But she had every reason to cry. She was leaving her one and only friend in the whole world. And just to make things worse, the afore-mentioned friend had not put in an appearance all day.

"He'll come to say goodbye, won't he?" she asked me, voice a whisper.

"Of course he will," I said with a confidence I didn't really feel.

Just then, the door to the dormitory opened. Standing in the doorway were Ebony's adoptive parents. The man was tall and heavily built with a large moustache. He wore a sharp business suit and black shoes so shiny you could see your reflection in them. The woman was also tall but she was very thin, with a long mop of peroxide-blond hair. She wore bright red lipstick and too much blusher. She too wore a suit, matching mint-green jacket and skirt, but I got the feeling that that wasn't what she generally dressed like.

"Ready to go, honey?" she said to Ebony, reaching out to her. Ebony recoiled slightly from the woman's hands as if she were afraid of her impractically long, red-painted nails. They were like talons on a huge, brightly-coloured bird of prey.

"Not yet," the little girl said firmly.

"Need to say bye-bye to all your little friends? Well, ok. We'll come back in a while."

And with a startlingly white-toothed smile, she and her husband departed from the room. I could understand what Kai meant when he said they weren't as perfect as they looked. They was something false about them, something that I couldn't quite put into words.

"Ray, where is he?" Ebony asked me desperately, "I don't want to go without seeing him! I mean, I don't want to go at all, but…"

Tears started to flood her eyes.

"Sh, don't cry," I said, "I'll go look for him, ok? You just stay here."

She nodded and tried to dry her eyes. I gave her an encouraging smile before running off to find Kai. But suddenly a thought struck me and I stopped and went back to her.

"Ebbie…" I said slowly, "That night when you…when you were seeing things that hadn't happened yet. What did you see?"

She thought for a moment.

"I couldn't really make anything out," she said, "It all came too fast. That's why it hurt so much – there was too much trying to get in my head at the one time. But there were a lot of bad things. Sad things. So you need to look after Kai really carefully, ok? Don't let them happen, ok?"

"I…don't know if I'll be able to change anything, Ebbie," I said dubiously.

"Yes…" she said after a pause, "Some things can't be changed. Some things…are fated to happen, no matter what you do."

I shifted uncomfortably. It still scared me a little when she started talking like that. She wasn't herself. So much older…

"But you have to try your best," she insisted, "'Cos some things can be helped."

I nodded, thinking of Bio-Volt. But…would he have escaped even if I hadn't been there?

"And Ray?"

I looked at her again.

"You have to remember that dream I had, the first time you were here," she said softly, "You thought I didn't see you, but I did. You have to remember the dream. It's important."

I blinked. Dream? Wait…wasn't it…

"…_It was you I was watching, Kai! You were out in the streets, and you were running 'cos bad men were chasing you. And there was another person…" she paused and wrinkled her nose as she tried to remember the 'other person', "Yeah; there was another person, a boy with long black hair and cat eyes…"_

"_And he was pulling you along, and telling you to go faster. Then you's turned…that way," Ebony pointed to her right, "but there was more bad guys down that way, comin' t'wards you. So you's turned round to go the other way. There weren't none bad guys down there, but the others had already turned the corner and they was coming t'wards you too…and there was nowhere for you to run to and they caught you and…"_

She stared up at me solemnly.

"Very important," she said decisively.

"Ok," I said, at a loss but making sure to keep it in mind anyway. I turned to go and look for Kai, but she called me back.

"There's one more thing, Ray…"

"Yes?" I said.

She came right up to me and pulled on my arm. I crouched down so our faces were level. She whispered a word in my ear:

"Azumano."

I stared at her.

"What does that mean?" I asked, standing up. She stared blankly at me.

"What does what mean?" she asked.

"That word you just said."

"But…I didn't say anything."

"Yeah you did, you said-"

She started to laugh.

"You're funny Ray," she giggled. I struggled to work out what was going on.

"Um…I'll go find Kai now…" I said, going out of the dormitory.

Where could he be? I checked his usual hiding place (the roof) but there was nothing there except a bird. I looked through all the dormitories and even out in the play-yard but he was nowhere to be found. Then I remembered that night when he had gotten angry and ran off. That storage room he had gone to. Could he be there now…?

It was worth a look.

I entered the dark room. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom I could make out the silhouettes of stacked crates and cardboard boxes. I looked behind the largest pile. Sure enough, there he was. He was sitting on the cold ground, knees pulled up to his chest.

"Hiding again?" I said softly. He jumped and looked up at me but remained silent.

"Ebbie's going soon," I told him, "You should come and see her."

He shook his head furiously.

"No," he mumbled, "I don't want to."

"Why not?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"Just don't."

"Kai, tell me."

My voice held a slight warning and he understood it.

"I didn't think it would really happen…" he said, "I didn't think she would really leave."

"She doesn't want to," I told him, "I don't think she's being left much choice."

"I know, I know, it's just…" he sighed as he tried to explain what he was feeling, "I mean I knew she was _going _to leave but there was always another day. I never thought about the actual day that she would go. I guess…I just thought it would never come, that it would be forgotten about. Stupid, huh?"

"No, not stupid."

Childish hope. Desperate childish hope.

"But I don't think I can see her," he said sadly, "I don't think I could say goodbye. Because goodbye sounds so…so final, like I'll never see her again. I'll see her again, right?"

"I…really don't know," I had to say, "But I hope so."

He gave another sigh.

"It's like that saying, isn't it?" he said with a wry smile, "'You never miss the water until it's gone'. I never thought about…how happy she made me. And I was so mean to her sometimes. And now she's going away forever."

"Not forever," I scolded, "I'm sure she'll tell these people that she wants to come and visit you. And as for you being mean to her, she adores you. You're her only friend in this place."

"She'll make new friends."

"Don't be jealous of her for that."

"I'm not," he said, and I noticed he had a tiny smile on his face, "I'm happy for her. I'm glad that she's escaping from this dump. If any of us deserve a family, it's her. And I want her to be happy. I just…don't think I'd be able to look at her and talk to her without trying to find some way to stop her leaving. I'm selfish. I want her to stay here, but I want her to be happy too. So, so _stupid!_"

"Stop saying that," I said, "Of course you want her to stay; you care about her. But she is leaving and there's nothing we can do to change that. But if you want her to be happy, don't you want her sending-off to be as pleasant as possible? And right now, she's upset because her best friend won't come and say goodbye to her."

"Heh…" he said, still smiling, "Cry-baby."

"Come on."

There was a pause.

"Alright," he said finally, "I'm coming."

I breathed a sigh of relief as we got to our feet. He probably would have never forgiven himself if he hadn't seen her off. And it wasn't like he hadn't wanted to see her. He was just…scared, right?

When we entered the dormitory Ebony gave a squeal of delight and ran over and hugged him tightly. He stumbled backwards slightly with surprise but quickly recovered. He looked rather unsure whether to hug her back or not.

"Ooooh, where were you? I thought you weren't coming!" she cried.

"Sorry," he said simply.

"Kai, I don't want to go," she said desperately, "Please don't make me go."

"You have to go," he said, not meeting her eyes, "This might be your only chance. You'll be happier."

"I won't!" she said fiercely, even determinedly.

"You'll be fine," he said, finally returning the hug albeit a little uncertainly. Ebony started to cry again. We didn't say anything. What could we say?

"Um…so," I said after a while just to break the silence, "What name do we call you by now, Ebony?"

"_Their_ names are Mr and Mrs Maekawa," she said with a frown, "My name's still the same."

I blinked. Maekawa? That sounded like a Japanese name. Surely they weren't whisking her all the way off to Japan?

I heard footsteps coming up the nearby stairs.

"I think they're coming," I said quietly. Ebony wiped away her tears, too proud to let these people see her cry. The door opened.

"Come on, lovie, we have to go now," Mrs Maekawa said with a too-wide smile.

"Right now?" she asked.

"Yes, it's time to go."

Trembling slightly, Ebony picked up her small, battered satchel and hitched it onto her shoulder. Kai said nothing. I said nothing. She couldn't say anything to me now. These people would think she was crazy or something, since they couldn't see me. How frustrating.

She took a few slow, uncertain steps towards them…then suddenly turned on her heel and ran and hugged Kai again, who came much closer to really falling backwards this time.

"I'll miss you," she said.

"Just…be happy now, got it?" he replied, trying to sound just a little bit gruff, "…But think about me sometimes, 'kay?"

Ebbie nodded tearfully. Mrs Maekawa still had that smile plastered on her face, but it looked slightly forced now, and impatient.

"I'll see you soon, Ebbie," Kai called as she finally walked away with her new family. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled knowingly.

"Sooner than you think," she called back. She looked at me and mouthed something. 'Remember'.

"Bye-bye!" she shouted just before she was ushered into the car. Kai raised a hand in farewell.

"Bye…" he said, swallowing painfully but keeping his strongest face on. I knew he wouldn't cry. Not even when he was alone in the middle of the night with nothing but his troubles and loneliness to think about, he wouldn't cry. But…was that good or bad?

The engine roared to life and the car took off down the street, screeching around a corner to disappear. Kai let his hand fall.

"Well…" he said with an attempted shrug, "That's that."

"I guess so," I said. We headed back inside.

Cal was standing in the entrance hall. Kai looked at him warily.

"Aw, how sad," the older boy taunted, "Little Kai's lost his girlfriend."

There was silence for a moment. Then Kai walked slowly towards him, until he was standing right in front of him. When he spoke, he kept his head down, eyes shadowed by his hair.

"Ebbie wasn't my girlfriend, and you know that," he said very quietly, "And if you had even half a brain, you wouldn't say things like that, least of all right now. Or, do you say those things because you know it will hurt someone? Maybe you should try and be more like Ebbie. All she ever wanted was to make people happy and make them feel good about themselves. Could you ever be like that? If not, then that just proves that she's a way better person than you'll ever be. But why don't you try it? Then maybe not everyone in this place would hate you."

The whole little speech was given flatly and without emotion, especially the last part. Cal obviously couldn't think of a reply. Kai started to walk away.

"Dude, how old ARE you?" Cal asked incredulously. Kai turned to look at him.

"It doesn't matter how old I am," he said, "I just say things…that are true. And sometimes that makes me a bad person. But sometimes it's ok, I think. Sometimes, people need to be told the truth."

And with that, he left.

A six-year old with the mind of an aged scholar and philosopher. I couldn't understand how that had grown to become a teenager who kept all his thoughts to himself, and didn't think that people had to be told anything, never mind the truth.

* * *

The next morning when I awoke, safely back in the present, one word was resonating around my mind.

Azumano.

I could almost see Ebony's desperate little face in front of me, willing me to make sense of what she had said. But, then again, she hadn't even seemed aware that she had said it. Had I imagined it…? Maybe I really was going crazy.

I decided not to think about it just now. Brooding over something that might not even be relevant to anything sure wasn't going to do anyone any good.

I had had an idea a few days ago, and maybe today I was brave enough to put it into action.

Kai was on the other side of the room, folding up his sleeping-bag. He didn't look in all that good a mood. But then again, does he ever? Heh, I guess he's been missing out on his beauty sleep lately.

"Hey, Kai?" I said, going over to him.

"Hn?" he 'said' without looking up.

"I was just wondering…do you have any Russian money?"

At that, his head snapped up. His expression was surprised, puzzled and suspicious all at the same time.

"Yeah," he said finally, "Why do you ask?"

Oops. I had forgotten to come up with that part.

"Uh, well…" I said, "You know I travel a lot and stuff and I was just thinking that maybe I'd end up in Russia one day and I was wondering if you'd mind exchanging some Russian money for yen…? I just hate traveller's cheques and stuff because they're so complicated."

He was looking at me with raised eyebrows, obviously not buying a word of it. Nonetheless, he fished about in his bag and produced a sizeable pile of notes, which he shoved in my direction.

"That's all I got," he said gruffly.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, "Um, how much is this worth in yen?"

"You don't have to pay me for it," he said, zipping up his bag again, "It's worth nothing at all to me since I don't exactly plan on ever going back to Russia."

As he said that, I could see that 6-year old kid in there, too scared to go back and meet his past. His inner demons were starting to eat him away on the inside. I wondered how long it would be before he admitted he needed our help, someone to talk to. Maybe he never would. Maybe it was already too late.

Don't think like that.

I heard a sound behind me. Turning round, I saw that Zeo was starting to stir in his sleep. I gave a small smile. It seemed as if, here in this time, it was all up to him.

But in the past…it was up to me.

End of chapter. Yay! And this one didn't take six months to write! (Or did it? I wasn't paying attention.) Please tell me what you think (please regard me kindly!).


	14. Running Again

Y'know, I complain a lot about the standard of my writing now, but when I went back and read the earlier chapters of this story, I realized that I have improved a LOT over the past few years. It's quite scary, I've actually been writing this story for almost two years now. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun. So, you readers, if you compare the first chapter to one of the more recent chapters, do you think I've improved too? I really hope it isn't just me, because when I read chapter one (and two. And three. And, yeah, four as well) I was so embarrassed I thought it might DIE! Does anyone think I should rewrite them, keeping the content the same but just…improving them somewhat? (I hope someone does because I've already started…)

Thank yous:

bladz-azeri: I'm so sorry, I've been really busy lately so that's why I haven't got back to you about the Spanish translation yet...Hopefully I will soon manage to make a new (working) email address...(as in, I did actually make another one but somehow it didn't work.) Please don't give up! And thank you very much for your kind review (and hard work!).

Mine and mine alone: Haha...why, thank you very much...(I'm all blushy now) Thanks for reviewing.

shadisparrow: Dude, I'm not just putting my writing down, I'm stating a sad fact...I think maybe I'm getting a bit better now but the first few chapters are a real embarrassment...what do you think of the re-write idea? Lol, I think the plot surprises a lot of people. (They think 'where on earth did she pull this from...?') I guess I wanted to write something a bit different. Haha, I don't think it took 6 months...(did it?) Thank you very much for your praise (bows).

Ray-Tiger-Cat: Yes, patience is a virtue...sadly, no one seems to have it. (Including myself.) Lol. Thank you for reviewing, hope you like this chapter.

ghostymangarocker: Ahem. The name is Fiver, if you please. (Lol, just kidding. We all make typos.) As for your question...well, that IS the question, isn't it? (That basically translates as: you find out as the story goes on.) Thank you for your kind review.

Darksunshine01: Lol, you mean you DON'T think it's confusing now? Wow, you must be really smart...(since I'm writing this and I think it's pretty confusing at times...) Well, you can find out what happens next now! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well!

Chapter 14: Running Again

I stuffed the money Kai had given me in the rucksack I always took with me on my little time-travelling excursions.

My mind was buzzing. A thought had occurred to me. If Kai's memories of the abbey had started coming back since the tournament in Russia, did that mean that eventually his memories of the orphanage would come back too? Or would he not remember that because it hadn't actually happened the first time around? Or had it? Would it still count as a memory anyway?

Agh, now I was just confusing myself.

And something else was bothering me. What was 'azumano'? It wasn't in any dictionary I looked up. Maybe it wasn't a word? Maybe it was the name of a place? Or maybe it was two words? 'Azu' and 'Mano'…nope. 'Azum' and 'Ano'…no. 'Az and 'Umano'…I could be here all day.

Just then, Tyson appeared.

"Hey, Ray, what you doing skulking in here?" he asked, "Come on, Kai isn't giving us another day off for a long time. We've got to go and train."

"Coming," I said. As we walked through the dojo towards the front yard, I decided to take a one in twenty-five billion chance.

"Tyson," I said, "Do you know what 'azumano' is?"

He looked at me in surprise for a moment, then started laughing.

"Why, did someone tell you that you should go there?" he asked between guffaws. I blinked.

"What…?" I started but just then he was called by Hilary to go and battle Max. He ran off, leaving me incredibly confused.

I didn't mention it again for the rest of the day.

That night when I arrived in the orphanage, I found Kai sitting on his bed with a large if somewhat battered bag. He rolled his eyes at me.

"About time you showed up," he said, "I've been waiting for five days."

"Sorry," I said,"…What do you mean 'waiting'?"

"I mean I've been packed and ready for five days," he said, hopping down off the bed.

"Packed…and ready…?"

"Yeah. I'm outta here," he said, "Remember, the only reason I stayed before was because of Ebbie. And now she's gone so…"

The pain and loneliness he felt flashed across his eyes as he said that, but his face remained determined.

"I thought I'd better wait until you came before I left," he said, pulling on a thin grey canvas jacket, "Cos I knew you'd panic if you came here and found out I was gone."

"Wait, wait, wait a second!" I said, taking him by the shoulders, "Where are you going to go if you leave here?"

It suddenly occurred to me that when I had decided to burst him out of Bio-Volt, I had had no idea where he would go after we had escaped. That had been stupid. I didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

"I don't know," he said simply, "But anywhere's better than here, I think."

"I'm not so sure…" I said uncertainly. He looked me straight in the eye, face solemn and sure of himself.

"Ray, I don't want to stay here," he said, "I…I hate it here. I'll go crazy if I don't get out."

"But…"

"Please!"

I sighed and relented. Even if he only ended up in another orphanage, maybe it would be better than this one.

"Ok," I said, "But you stay right next to me the whole time, you hear me?"

He looked surprised for a moment, then his face broke into a Kai-equivalent-of-a-grin.

"Just don't make me hold your hand," he said as we descended the rickety stairs.

As we passed the play-yard, I was surprised to see that Cal was out there, surrounded by a crowd of smaller kids. It looked like he was…teaching them to beyblade. So, maybe Kai's little monologue had had some effect on him.

"He said sorry to me, you know," Kai said. I stared at him.

"He what?"

"Yeah, I thought he was either sick or having a joke," he continued, "But nope, he's been nicer to everyone lately. Maybe telling people the truth about themselves is a good thing sometimes."

"Yes," I said, "It is."

We ventured out into the cold Russian air. There was fresh snow on the ground, but for now nothing fell from the sky. I looked doubtfully up at the gathering clouds. For how long, I wonder?

Kai took off down the nearest street.

"Hey, I said to stay with me," I scolded mildly as I caught up with him.

"Well you have to keep up with me then," he said evenly.

We wandered around for ages. Even though he had no idea where he was going, he looked happier out in the open. It suited him better, I guess, than being cooped up. Some people are like that.

I wondered if anyone noticed the lone little boy walking along the streets of Moscow. No one could see me, right? I was worried about what would happen if someone approached him to ask if he was lost or in need of help…what would he say?

I shivered slightly. It was sub-zero out here. Kai looked fine though. I supposed years of being locked in a puny, ice-box of a cell in the abbey had taught him cold-endurance.

Speaking of the abbey…

Around noon we stepped out of an alleyway onto an open courtyard. My eyes widened: up ahead, there was the dreaded place itself, partially concealed by the now many padlock-and-chain enforced gates.

"Kai, we should go," I said firmly, trying to stay calm. If he was spotted here and caught then everything that had happened over the past months would have been for nothing…

He didn't respond. He was staring up at the dark grey building, uncertainty and fear doing battle for dominance on his childish features.

"Kai, we have to go NOW," I said, tugging at his arm.

"…Have I been to this place before?" he asked in a rather far-away voice.

Oh yeah, NOW he decides to start having flashbacks.

"Kai, come on-"

I stopped short as I realized that someone else had called his name at the same time as me. I glanced around nervously for any signs of guards. I couldn't see any, but I knew there'd be some nearby. So who had called?

"Someone shouted me," he said dubiously, looking around him.

Suddenly I heard it again.

"Kai! Kai, over here!"

It was coming from the gates, a child's voice. We both looked over.

Standing there, with arms stuck through the gaps between the bars, was a boy, maybe a year older than Kai. He had fiery-red hair and, I could see even from this distance, vivid blue eyes.

As if in a trance, Kai meandered over to the gate to stand right in front of it. I followed, ready to grab him and run at the first sign of danger.

The other boy looked Kai up and down.

"It really is you, isn't it?" he said, looking relieved, "When you disappeared, Boris wouldn't tell us where you'd gone so we all thought you were dead-"

Odd conclusion for a child to jump to.

"-Man, I'm so glad you're alive! And you escaped, too. Tch, lucky."

"Who…who are you?" Kai asked in a whisper. The other boy didn't hear him.

"But I thought we were going to escape together," he said, face falling, "We made a promise, remember? A promise…"

He reached out with one hand, fist clenched but pinkie finger extended.

"Remember?" he said with a weak smile.

Kai stared at the hand, then at the boy.

"T-Tala…?" he said with a frown, as if the name had just come back to him and still sounded unfamiliar. I jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around to examine the other child.

It…was Tala. It was unmistakeable.

Presently, he withdrew his hand.

"It's ok, though," he said softly, "I'm glad you got out of here."

Suddenly, the voice of Boris Balcov resounded from the main building, bellowing Tala's name. The red-head boy's eyes went wide with shock.

"You'd better run, Kai," he hissed urgently, "Go, go! Don't let them catch you!"

"But…why?" he asked, looking lost and scared.

"Don't act stupid, just GO!" Tala ordered, managing to reach out and give him a shove.

"Kai, come on, we have to go now," I said, taking his hand and pulling slightly. He looked up at me with round eyes.

"But what about…?" he said, looking over at Tala.

"There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry," I said to him, still trying to pull him away. I had never felt so awful in my life. How could I just leave that other kid there, ready to be snatched up by Boris? I might not know Tala as well as I knew Kai, but I had a feeling that underneath it all he was just the same. Did he have the same nightmares? Did anyone come to help him?

But I was right. There was nothing we could do for him. By the time we managed to break through all of the gate's new defences, the guards would be upon us. And if we saved one, wouldn't we have to save them all? How many Bio-Volt trainees were there? Fifty? A hundred? What was I going to do with a hundred kids? Hiding one was hard enough. But a hundred! It was impossible!

"Kai, just run!" Tala said desperately. I could hear approaching footsteps. Turning around quickly, I saw a guard approaching us quietly from behind. Tala spotted him too.

"Kai, NOW!" he yelled, pointing.

Kai didn't need to be told again. He took one look at the hooded man and took off like a startled hare. Even I had trouble keeping up with him. Man that kid is fast.

I heard a strange 'oomph' sound. Looking back, I saw that Tala had stuck a foot through the bars of the gate, tripping our pursuer up and giving us a sizeable head start.

The guard was joined by another, and they kept in pursuit of us far into the twisty-turny streets. Kai was starting to tire. Small legs can only run fast for so far. Our lead on them was lessening rapidly. I grabbed his hand and started pulling him along, urging him to go faster.

We were coming up for a dead end. There were two roads leading off at the end, one to the left and one to the right. Which one to take?

"Come on, not much further," I was saying to him over and over.

I was put in mind of Ebbie's dream. She had told me to remember it…

'_Bad men were chasing you…'_

"Faster…"

'_A boy with long black hair and cat eyes…'_

"Almost there…"

'_Then you's turned…that way."_

She had pointed. Which way had she pointed!

'_But there were more bad guys down that way…"_

…What?

'_More bad guys down that way…'_

Which way had she pointed! Why couldn't I remember!

'_There was nowhere for you to run…'_

Wait…wasn't it…

_And they caught you…"_

Not going to happen. She pointed…

'…_that way…'_

…

Right.

She had pointed right!

'_More bad guys down that way…'_

Don't go right.

Turn left. Left.

Could I really stake Kai's life on the authority of one little girl's dream?

…

Yes.

"Come on!" I shouted to him as we reached the turning point.

Without a moment's hesitation, I went left, dragging him with me.

As we kept running, I heard the two guards being joined by more. My heart skipped a beat. Ebbie had been right. If we had turned right…

I shuddered.

On the downside, they were still gaining on us fast. I suddenly saw an opening out onto a main street. There were people walking about. Surely they wouldn't dare touch him under public view?

We dove out onto the busy street. The guards hesitated. They knew as well as I did that if they grabbed him in front of all these people, what really went on in the abbey could easily be revealed. Cursing to themselves, they turned away.

Across the road I could see a small bed-and-breakfast type place. Managing to dodge the traffic, we went inside it.

I pulled some of the money older-Kai had given me out of my bag as we approached the front desk. The receptionist, a middle-aged plump woman with light brown hair, looked down at Kai worriedly. He was still very much out of breath and his eyes were wide with terror.

I almost moaned aloud as I realized that she couldn't see me.

But then she turned to me.

"Is he alright?" she asked me. I was so taken aback I nearly fell over.

"Y-yeah, he's fine," I said, attempting a smile. I think it came out more of a grimace, "Um, could we have a room, please? One with two single beds would be best."

"Of course," she said, smiling kindly at Kai as I handed her the money. She gave me the keys and directions to the room. The keys didn't fall through my hand. I thanked her somewhat shakily and we headed for our temporary accommodation.

How come she could see me! Could everyone see me now! Had the Bio-Volt guards seen me?

What was going ON!

Maybe…maybe it was only the people who I NEEDED to see me who could do so.

Except Kai. He just saw me because…well, this was his world basically. His memories, his past.

Ebony? I had assumed it had been because of her power or…actually, I hadn't really thought about it.

Someone once told me that everything happens for a reason. So it was those who had reason to see me who could? Or just those that I needed to see me, or wanted to? How much of this world could I control?

It was too much for me.

I looked down at Kai. His expression was blank, emotionless.

"Are you really alright…?" I asked. He looked at me. I felt a jolt of shock. He looked…like he had in the abbey. That semi-scared, confused, angry look…

"I have been there before," he said quietly.

I sighed. So…the memories were flowing back.

I led him over to one of the beds and we both sat on the edge of it. Just sat in silence, me resting a hand on his shoulder as he tried to get his head around all these things he had forgotten about himself.

A thought struck me. Did this mean…that he'd remember in the future?

A long time passed. I wasn't sure how long.

"Feeling better now, squirt?" I asked him softly. He jumped slightly, then gave a dry smile.

"Squirt…" he said, "I remember that."

He turned to me and frowned.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he demanded, "You knew all along who I was."

"I don't know much more about you than you do," I told him, "But…yeah, I knew about the abbey. I was there with you, remember?"

"Yes."

"I guess I didn't tell you because…I thought they were bad memories. I thought maybe…you'd be happier forgetting them," I said helplessly.

"I told you before," he said, with a small smile on his face now to tell me I was forgiven, "It's better to know the truth, even if it hurts you."

I nodded numbly. Sometimes I felt as if I was the child here.

He still looked a little shell-shocked. It was understandable that he would. There wasn't much I could say to help him just now.

"There's a take-out next door," I said, "I'll go get us something to eat. Don't leave this room, ok? Promise?"

He nodded. Bio-Volt would never suspect that he would be here. They didn't think he had any money. They would be searching every alleyway within a five-mile radius. So I didn't feel too nervous about leaving him alone.

But I still locked the room door behind me. Just in case.

There was a long queue in the take-out restaurant. I wondered vaguely if the person serving would be able to see me. If I willed it hard enough, could I MAKE them see me? Or had the thing at the bed-and-breakfast just been a fluke?

I stood in the almost unmoving queue, fidgeting with boredom. There was a notice-board one the wall next to me with various posters and leaflets pinned on it. I glanced over them without much interest.

Then one caught my eye.

I did a double-take a looked at it more closely.

Couldn't be…couldn't be…no way…

It was.

All thoughts of food forgotten, I ripped the poster off the wall and made a run for the door.

Whilst returning to the room I nearly tripped on the stairs several times I was going so fast. When I reached the door I couldn't keep my hand steady to fit the key in the lock. When I finally got it open, I burst inside.

Kai jumped and looked at me quizzically, silently asking why I had returned in such haste. Gasping for breath, I went over to him and held the poster up.

"Remember anything about THIS?" I asked.

He stared at the poster. Looking back at him was a picture of himself, with the word 'MISSING' emblazoned across the top of the page.

End of chapter 14. Wow, this only took me like a day and a half to write (does it show?). Yay, now we're getting to the part of the plot that I actually wrote this story for! (You have no idea how long I've had the following chapters planned out…)

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So how was that? Lost yet? Don't worry…all will be revealed. (How long it will take I don't know, but all will be revealed.)

Please review!


	15. No More Running

**Hi everyone! Chapter fifteen is here! (And it's a weird one!) **

**Thanks you list for previous chapter:**

**ghostymangarocker: Lol, sorry if i disappoint you in that respect. The origins of the poster are mostly revealed in this chapter. I don't think I wrote it very well, but there you go. I hope it's ok! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Adam: Apologies for not responding...I have about 900 emails in my inbox so things are constantly lost...(I really need to clear that out...) Anyway. Uh...I never actually thought of that. I suppose it depends on when you consider the 'present' to be, and therefore when 'ten years into the past' would be. Agh, this is confusing! I needed to get Ray some money somehow...that was the best I could come up with. (I'm a failure...) Ooh, first prize, yes, a location. But WHERE, I ask you? Well...I think that will be in chapter 16. Until then you'll just have to ponder ;) I know, I was almost crying when I had to write the part where they left Tala behind (I felt so evil!) Poor wittle Tala...hehe, when (or if) I finish this story maybe I should write a version where someone goes into Tala's past! (Ooh...maybe.) Yes, I came up with this part of the story even before I knew this website existed. I just hope I can make it appear in writing the way I see it in my head...(unlikely, I know, but I'll try my best!) Sorry, this is a past-centric chapter! Zeo appears again in chapter 16! Gomen nasai! Apart from that, I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!**

**Keight Ylonen: Trust me, there are much better stories out there, but thank you very much. 8D Here's the update you wanted. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Thanks to everyone else, too! I'd mention you all but I'm afraid time is of the essence right now...**

**Chapter 15: No More Running**

It was late at night. Kai was fast asleep in his bed. I was sitting awake, still staring at the poster I had torn down.

The boy in the picture on it was definitely him, unless he had a long-lost identical twin brother. But according to the information on it, a family was looking for him. It also said he had gone missing almost a year ago. But the name of the family wasn't Hiwatari. Was that not his real surname? And how could they have lost him a year ago? Hadn't he always lived in the abbey? Was even the little that we knew of Kai's past a lie? Or did he not know this either?

Another thought had occurred to me. When the woman at the reception desk had spoken to me, apart from it being totally bizarre that she could see me at all, why had she been speaking Japanese? This was Russia. Wouldn't most people just speak their native tongue? Was it…that Kai's memories were slightly altered in these dreams so that I could understand? Because if she had started speaking to me in Russian I'm pretty sure I would have taken a panic attack. Or maybe she had been speaking Russian but something about these dreams translated for me…?

I shut my eyes momentarily. My head hurt.

I was doing my best not to fall asleep. I felt that, while I was awake, I couldn't be taken back to my own time. And I didn't really want to go back there right now. Now that the imminent danger of the abbey had passed, I realized that booking us in here had probably been a bad idea. Maybe he was safer here, but only for this one night. If he woke up in the morning and I wasn't here, what would he do? Take to the streets, most likely. And that was where they'd be searching for him. Our only advantage over them had been that they hadn't known that I was with him. But now, we weren't even sure if we had that…

I started to feel overwhelmingly sleepy, just like that night when we had escaped Bio-Volt for the first time. I shook myself roughly. Can't fall asleep now…

There was nothing I could do. I couldn't be awake in this world while he was asleep. I didn't really _exist _here at all while he was asleep.

Again, the darkness consumed.

The next thing I knew, sunlight was hitting my closed eyelids. I jumped awake and, once again, cursed myself for my apparent inability to stay awake at the most crucial times. I looked around to see who else was already up.

…

But I wasn't in the dojo.

I blinked in bewilderment and took in my surroundings. My surroundings were…a small bed-and-breakfast room.

I…was still here?

But…

…

Oh well.

I cast a glance over at the other bed. I felt momentarily panicked when I saw it was empty. However, a moment later something small and blue jumped me from behind. (I almost fell out the bed.)

"You sleep a lot," the small-and-blue-thing (which, of course, was Kai) remarked, "I've been up for ages. I'm bored."

"You could have made your bed," I pointed out, gesturing to the rumpled bedclothes.

"That's boring."

"Beggars can't be choosers."

He rolled his eyes and clambered off of my bed.

"I was worried you weren't going to be here this morning, you know," he said.

"Yeah, me too," I admitted. He frowned.

"Can't you control whether you stay or go?" he asked.

"No, not that I know of."

"But _why? _That's crazy. And where do you go when you disappear off anyway?"

"I go…back home, I guess."

"To China? To that village you told me about?"

"Oh, you remember that? No, I don't live there anymore."

"Hehe, that's good," he said, "It would be too weird if you were going from here to China every night."

I laughed, trying to hide my nervous thoughts of 'Yeah that would be too weird. Out of interest, would going from here to Japan be any less weird?'

"So where are we going today?" he asked.

"I thought that would be obvious," I said, surprised.

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

I picked up the poster.

"We're going here," I said, pointing to the address.

"But why?" he cried, "I don't remember anything about any family. It must be meant for someone else."

"Kai, it is YOU in this picture," I said, "Who else could it be!"

"B-but I don't REMEMBER…"

"You lost your memory just a little while ago," I said as gently as I could, "It might not have been the first time."

I could see it in his eyes that he didn't want to believe that.

"Am I stupid?" he asked, "Is that why I can't remember stuff? I think maybe there's a hole in my brain."

"Why do you say that?" I said, puzzled.

"It's weird," he said, "I can remember being REALLY small and being in the abbey. Then I remember being five and being in the abbey. But there's a big gap in between."

"A gap?"

"Uh-huh. Like I was asleep for a long, long time."

"Hm…maybe you're just imagining it?" I suggested, "Maybe it just seems like there was a gap."

"No…" he said, shaking his head, "I know because…"

He stopped.

"Because what?" I asked. He bit his lip.

"Because I know my mum died when I was four," he said finally, "That's one of the last things I could remember, before the gap. I remember it being my birthday, and I was four, and she came to see me. And then a week later…"

He trailed off and shrugged.

"Well…y'know," he concluded, not looking me, "And then I don't remember anything after that, until I was five. Like a whole year was cut out."

He noticed I was staring at him.

"What is it?" he asked nervously.

"Your…mum's dead?" I questioned tentatively. He nodded sadly.

"What about your dad?" I asked with some hope, thinking maybe he still had some family in the world besides Voltaire.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, voice almost a whisper. I nodded, doing my best to refrain from just hugging him really tightly (since I had a feeling he wouldn't really appreciate that much). I had never known that Kai's childhood had been so…_tragic. _

"The first thing I remember after the gap is just waking up in the abbey and Boris coming and making me do training and stuff," he continued, obviously trying to steer away from the subject of his family, "It was just like any other day. But I don't remember anything in between, not even being hurt or getting punished. Just nothing. Like it was wiped clean."

I pondered this. Then an idea hit me.

_Wiped clean…_

"Kai, you're six now, right?" I asked with mounting excitement. He nodded uncertainly, not sure what I was getting at.

"And when you woke up in the abbey after 'the gap', you were five, so that was about a year ago?" I continued.

"Um…I'm not sure, I don't have a calendar or anything…"

"Has it been quite a long time? Has it _seemed_ like a year?"

"Why is it so important for it to have been a year?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because..." I declared, "According to this poster, you have been missing for just under a year. Now, think about this. Could it be possible, could it be just possible, that you were with this family – say you escaped from the abbey some other time – and you were with them from when you were four until you were five. And then, somehow, Bio-Volt tracked you down and took you back. But, of course, they wouldn't want you to remember about being with a family. They don't want anything good to happen to you, right? You know, their whole philosophy about 'kindness is weakness' and all that. So, maybe, just maybe, they…made you forget? Could they do that?"

He stared up at me dubiously.

"You're talking crazy, Ray," he said, looking slightly worried.

"No, no, I'm not," I insisted, "Don't you see? It all adds up! If a family is looking for you, but you don't recognize them, what does that mean? Either they have the wrong person, or you somehow forgot them. And you're missing almost a year of memories, the year you were four. Isn't it possible that you were with these people all that time? And nearly a year has passed since then, the same amount of time that this family have been searching for the kid on this poster who, if he is not you, is your doppelganger or something."

"…What's a doppelganger?" he asked finally, the rest of what I had said having apparently made no sense to him. (Plus, I had been speaking very fast, like some kind of mad scientist trying to explain his latest theory.)

"Like your identical twin," I said, straightening the duvet on my bed, "Now come on, it's time for us to check out."

"But Ray, I don't want to go…"

"Why not?"

"Because…because this is stupid. You could be wrong, you could be making a mistake. And these people…" he pointed to the poster, "They aren't related to me. They're not _my _family. So why would they be looking for me? Why would they want me?"

"Well, we'll find out when we see them, won't we?" I said simply, "You can ask them."

"But…"

"No buts. We're going, alright?"

I hadn't meant to speak so harshly. He looked away unhappily. I sighed and knelt down in front of him.

"Look, I know you find it hard to trust other people," I said slowly, "And, hey, I can't blame you. But always remember: there are good people in the world. Not everyone's out to hurt you, not everyone wants to be with you only for their own gain. These people…" I held up the poster, "They could be our last hope. Where else do you have to go? We just have to trust them. They could be good people. We just have to find out."

He seemed somewhat consoled by the little sermon. He gave a small smile.

"I know there's some good people in the world," he told me, "If there weren't, then you wouldn't be here, would you?"

I was rather touched by the compliment (once I worked out what it meant, of course).

Later, after checking out of the bed and breakfast, we wandered around the labyrinth of streets, trying to find something that might point us in the direction of these people's house. It was near impossible. We couldn't ask anyone. If posters like this were up everywhere, as the case generally would be with disappearances, someone was bound to recognize him. I was surprised that no one had done so yet. And if he was recognized we'd end up at a police-station (and if they could see me I'd probably end up arrested for abduction) and there'd be questions and it would end up incredibly complicated. (Not to mention that Kai would probably decide he didn't like policemen and just make a run for it.) No, I just wanted to get him straight to the house. It was the only place left in the world that he might be safe.

"I wish we had a map or something…" I groaned around noon.

"Maybe we should go buy one?" he suggested, although he didn't actually seem too bothered by the fact that we were struggling to find this place.

"You know people can't see me sometimes, squirt. It's kind of risky."

"Ok."

Jeez, he REALLY wasn't bothered AT ALL.

"Do you know anything about this city?" I asked desperately, "Do you recognize this house name?"

He shot me a look to remind me that he'd spent most of his life underneath the city as opposed to in it, but looked anyway.

A strange look flashed across his face for a moment.

"…No, I don't know it," he said at last.

"I think you do," I said, folding my arms and looking at him.

"Think what you want."

"Are you aware that I am doing this for your own good?"

"Yeah, well I want to know who's putting you up to this! You can't be doing this _just_ for me. What are you getting out of it? Is it one of grandfather's ideas?"

I'm telling you, I damn near hit him.

"Kai, it is not like that," I ground out, "I hate your grandfather. I really do."

"So are you helping me because you know it'll annoy him?" he demanded.

"No! I hate your grandfather _because _of what he does to you. I'm just helping you for your sake. Because I care."

"Why would you care about a kid who never did anything for you?"

I couldn't suppress a small smile.

"You have done things for me, Kai," I said, "Really."

"When?"

"…You'll understand when you're older," I said, picturing what older-Kai's face would be like if he remembered this, "Now where is this house?"

"I don't know."

"Kai…"

"Alright! I have a _feeling _like it's that way," he said, pointing down a nearby road, "But I don't know _why._ I'm probably wrong."

"Maybe it's your memories kicking in subconsciously," I said thoughtfully, "Like, you remember but you don't remember."

"You're talking crazy again," he said, walking past me and down what was hopefully the correct road.

It seemed like we walked forever. Every time we seemed completely lost, Kai always had an instinctive feeling as to where we should go. Sometimes I had to coax him to tell what it was though, since he still wasn't too happy with the idea of this family. I was starting to have second thoughts myself. It couldn't be some Bio-Volt trap, could it?

Only one way to find out.

If it is, we run. If not…well, who knows?

The sun was starting to sink in the sky when we came to a large cluster of trees. Not quite a forest, but close enough. I realized the abbey must have been near the outskirts of Moscow, because we seemed to have almost left the city behind. I closed my eyes for a moment. It was quieter here.

"Through here…" Kai mumbled, half to himself, starting to walk towards the trees.

"Hey, I don't think that's a good idea…!" I called after him, "We'll get lost."

"We're _already _lost," he said, not stopping and not looking back. I gave an exasperated sigh and resigned myself to following him.

We soon came onto a well-used dirt track, worn through the undergrowth. He started to follow it, me a few steps behind. He definitely seemed to have more idea where he was going now. Unless of course he had just decided he liked it here and wanted to be as far as possible from the house we were looking for.

Well, I had no choice but to trust him, really.

It was almost dark when we emerged out into the open.

I blinked.

We were in a small clearing, almost perfectly circular in shape, and slap-bang in the middle…was a house. Quite small, like an old cottage. Smoke puffed from the chimney. There were lights on inside. It appeared warm and welcoming. But maybe that was just because we had been on our feet all day.

We started to go towards it, slowly, almost cautiously. Outside was a well-kept garden, full of plants and small trees that would bloom prettily come summer. There was also something else that evidently caught Kai's eye, since he stopped in his tracks to look at it. I followed his gaze, puzzled.

In the dying light, I could see the silhouette of a rectangular slab of stone standing upwards in the ground. From this distance, however, I couldn't see properly what it was.

"Nora's grave," Kai said sadly. I stared at him.

"Who's Nora?" I asked. He looked up at me, expression blank and confused.

"I have no idea," he said dubiously.

Memories have a funny way of popping up.

"Come on," I said, taking hold of his wrist and leading him towards the house. He walked reluctantly, pulling on my hand slightly. I went on, undeterred.

We reached the front door. His small face, which had always appeared so grown-up, now actually looked like the face of a young child. His eyes were wide and a little scared, and he chewed on his bottom lip nervously. All the haughty pride and maturity had abruptly vanished.

"I don't want to do this," he said agitatedly.

"But you're starting to remember," I said desperately, "You can't give up now. Look, it's the right house," I pointed to the name-plate on the door which was the same as the one in the poster, "And you remembered the…the grave. You must have been here before. Come on, you can do it. Be strong."

"But I'm _not_ strong," he said quietly. I gawked. Older-Kai would _never _say something like that. (Wow, was he going to be annoyed when he discovered I had heard his younger-self say it.)

"Yes you are," I said firmly. I gestured to the doorbell. He eyed it as if he expected it to explode at any moment.

He raised a hand slowly, as if in a dream, to push the button. But at the last minute he faltered and let the hand drop.

Determined not to let this fail, I gripped his hand and pulled it up to the bell. He shut his eyes. He was shaking slightly.

With one last prayer that this would end well, I pressed his small hand against the button.

A bell resounded inside the house. A cheerful enough sound, but to him it must have sounded terrifying. He backed away from the door.

"I want to run," he whispered.

"You can't run anymore," I replied.

We heard footsteps approaching, echoing sharply off of an apparently wooden floor. High heels, it sounded like. A woman, most likely.

A figure appeared through the frosted glass of the door, which was quickly opened.

The person in the doorway was indeed a woman. Tall, with long blue-black hair. In her thirties, maybe? She wore a lilac blouse and matching knee-length skirt. Her perfume smelled of violet.

She looked outside confusedly for a moment, seeing no one there. That meant she couldn't see me. I wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Then she looked down.

Time seemed to freeze.

She stared blankly down at Kai for a moment, hazel eyes empty of any emotion.

Then disbelief flashed across her face, swiftly replaced by shock.

"You…you came back," she said, voice trembling slightly. Kai didn't reply. I don't think he could.

She knelt down unsteadily before grabbing him in a tight embrace. Her shoulders were shaking. I realized she was laughing and crying at the same time.

Yeah, I thought this was the right place.

"You came back!" she repeated, the tears flowing freely down her face, "Oh God, it's not a dream is it? Please, God, don't let it be a dream…"

"Nerissa, what's going on? Who's at the door?"

I looked up at the voice. A man had appeared in the hallway, powerfully built with a head of thick brown hair. He looked in confusion at his wife kneeling on the doorstep. Then he caught a glimpse of the bewildered face looking over her shoulder. He put a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"Holy mother of…" he started, going over to them to get a closer look, "Is it…?"

His wife's sobs of relief seemed to give him the answer. He looked equally astonished (somehow, that word seems too weak to describe the looks on their faces) and relieved, but also decided to take control of the situation.

"Nerissa, get a hold of yourself," he said gruffly. I laughed to myself. Anyone else present would have said 'typical man'.

The woman, Nerissa, got unsteadily to her feet, eyes never leaving the boy in front of her. The man picked said boy up with ease (much to Kai's shock, I think) and took him inside. I slipped inside just before the door was shut. I still never really like walking through solid objects.

"We'll need to call the police…" the man was saying.

"Police?" Kai said fearfully, suddenly finding his tongue again.

"To tell them you're safe…" he explained, sounding rather dazed.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Kurt!" he shouted up, "Get down here!"

"Why?" came the reply.

"Just do it," the man said, advancing into the living room before there could be any argument. Moments later a boy appeared, about my age, with the same blue-black hair as the woman who could only be his mother. Taking in the scene in front of him, all he seemed able to do was raise his eyebrows.

The short time that followed was a sheer blur. The man was on the phone, making calls to the police, family, friends, everyone. I wished he wouldn't. Bio-Volt had ears everywhere, I was sure. The last thing we needed was him being tracked down. The woman was fussing over Kai like he was one of her own, smothering him in blankets and hugs and tears.

"Oh, look how you've grown…" she said disbelievingly before bundling him onto the sofa, "Are you hungry, should I make you some food? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you cold, do you want some cocoa? Are you…"

The boy, Kurt, still stood in the doorway. For a while he just looked on, taken aback, then his face broke into a bright grin.

It wasn't long before the police arrived, looking as though they half-expected the call they had received to have been a hoax. Understandably, of course. How often does a kid who has been missing for a year just show up out of the blue, alive and unharmed? It had to be something most police officers never saw.

They wanted to talk to Kai, of course, ask him what had happened, where he had been. But when they turned to him, he was fast asleep on the sofa.

"I think he's had enough excitement for one day. We all have," the man said, "You can question him tomorrow."

The police were very reluctant to leave but eventually did so. After all, nobody had the heart to wake the kid.

I smiled to myself. Maybe he was safe at last.

Soon afterwards the darkness came again.

* * *

**End chapter. Wow, that sucked. **

**It's hard to express how those people felt when they saw little-Kai…I think it's something you really have to see and hear, like in a movie, to appreciate it. Somehow, writing doesn't seem to do it justice. (They just didn't seem surprised enough! Agh, surprised isn't even strong enough a word!) So, who are they? How do they know Kai? Find out next time (or the time after that) in DDML! (That seems to be the only way to shorten the title…any better ideas?)**

**Well, gotta run!**

**Please review!**

**Fiver**


	16. Small Comforts

_**Hey people. Guess what? I'm still alive!!! (Just in case you were unsure)**_

_**Sorry it's been so, so, so, sooooo long. I don't even have an excuse this time, except the usual tragic affliction of writer's block. Please forgive me.**_

_**Thanks go out to:**_

**_Mimicking Karma: Lol, well you'll probably have to re-read the past two chapters to understand this one now…(And you'll also probably have to read your last review to understand what I'm talking about P) Thanks for reviewing, hope you like this chapter._**

_**ray-tiger-cat: Yeah I know, reading this story is starting to feel like a nauseating car journey (you know…twists and turns all over the place). Wow…no one's ever said I'm one of their favourite writers before (all warm and fuzzy inside now!!) I hope I don't disappoint you. Sorry for such a long wait, hope you like the new chapter.**_

_**KIBASESS: (some) explanations are offered in this chapter…(but, then again, there's probably more questions asked too). Hope you like it, thanks for reviewing. **_

_**Sam: tell me about it --;; with every chapter I add it seems like I have to alter the ending to suit what I've written…by the end it's going to make no sense…(well…let's hope not). Thanks for reviewing.**_

**_Keight Ylonen: Yup, I'm still alive! Whoot! Thanks for reviewing, here's an update at last!_**

_**Adam: (sob) I thought you'd given up on me! Well your unexpected review gave me the motivation I needed to finish this incredibly un-writable chapter. Hope you like it. The thing that controls Ray's time-travelling capabilities will hopefully be revealed soon. Thanks for reviewing!**_

_**Thanks to everyone else who reviewed too!!!**_

**_Now…if anybody actually still reads this story…I hope you enjoy chapter 16. _**

**_Chapter 16: Small Comforts_**

I awoke the next morning in the safety and (relative) normality of the dojo in my own time. But it was just the next morning. The next morning after the night I originally fell asleep, I mean. I had spent two days and a night in little-Kai's world, but no more time than usual had passed here. (As in…one night.) I smiled wryly to myself. If this kept up, I was going to end up ageing before all the others.

None of this made any sense, of course. It defied all laws of time and physics. But, then again, so did the whole time travel thing. So there was no reason to really think too deeply about it. It was an impossibility. But it was happening. Just get on with it.

I sat up and scanned the room. Kai was (of course) already up and gone, as were Max and Chief. Tyson was still fast asleep, mouth gaping open as he snored loudly. Zeo appeared to have just woken. He was sitting rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Morning, Ray," he said with a slight smile.

"Morning," I returned, "Sleep ok?"

"Hm…as well as I ever do, I guess," he said vaguely.

"What does that mean?" I questioned. He looked away.

"Well…" he said uncertainly, "Ever since I…ever since I learnt 'the truth' about myself, I've started wondering, even about little things, 'how does a robot do that?'. Like sleeping. Do you think I just…shut down or something? Like a computer switching off?"

"No," I said plaintively, "I think you just go to sleep."

He blinked and looked at me for a moment before laughing. A fake laugh, but still a laugh.

"Sorry, I must be creeping you out, saying stuff like that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly, "Just forget about it. Come on, we should probably go outside…"

"Zeo…" I said as he stood up and went to walk for the door, "If you need to talk about the things that have happened, we're all here for you. Don't keep it bottled up."

He didn't turn around.

"Um, ok…but I'm fine, really," he said, but rather unconvincingly.

"Do you want to tell me what's up?" I asked. He sighed.

"I've just been thinking…" he said, sitting down again, "Y'know that my father made me because the original Zeo…the real Zeo…died in an accident? I always wonder…what that boy was like. Was he like me? Am I like him? Are we like two different people, or do we have to be the same because I was made to be like him? I just…I don't know…"

I looked at him sympathetically. He was fighting through a lot right now, but he always tried to keep smiling, for our sake.

"The way I see it…" I said slowly, "Is that you must be different from him, because no two people are exactly alike. Dr Zagart might have _made _you to be like him, but he forgot that you would be your own person too. So…maybe the other Zeo is kind of like your older brother. There are similarities between the two of you, and you look alike, but you each have your own things that make you who you are. So don't think that you only exist to be a copy of a boy who died. Try to think the way you did before all this happened, because, really, _you_ haven't changed. You're still the same person. What were your ambitions, your interests? Does it matter if they're the same as his were, or different? Just be yourself, Zeo. That's all anybody can expect from you."

He seemed mildly awed by this opinion.

"Thanks, Ray," he said with a real smile, "Thanks a lot."

"No problem," I said, "Now come on, if Kai has to wait to start us training, he ends up even more grouchy than usual."

"Aw, I think you guys are pretty harsh on him," he laughed, "Is he really so bad?"

I thought for a moment as we walked along.

"Actually now that I think about it…" I said almost in surprise, "He's not, is he?"

"Nope," he said, still smiling, "It seems like you guys have just gotten it into your heads that he's totally evil. How come?"

"Well, he was pretty hard to put up with in the beginning…" I said thoughtfully, remembering the first year or so the team had been together, "I guess that none of us paid enough attention to notice him changing."

The change was slow and hard to pinpoint, of course. But, like I had said, now that I _thought_ about it…some of the things he did now, he would never have dreamt of doing when we first met him. Like that day at the café. Before, he would never have spent any kind of leisure time with us, willingly or otherwise. And giving me the Russian money, even though he had clearly known that my reasons for needing it were a complete and outright lie. Small things like that. And he was just _around _more in general, as if the idea of being near us didn't quite make him feel nauseous. True, Tyson still got on his nerves but…well, it wasn't as if Tyson ever stopped to think that maybe he wasn't the same old grinch he used to be anymore.

"Was it that thing that no one will tell me about?" Zeo asked suddenly, "The thing that happened in Russia. Is that what made him change, do you think?"

"Maybe…" I said, "He did seem a little more at ease after that…"

"But what was it, Ray?" he asked imploringly, "Is it so bad that I can't hear about it?"

"No it's not that," I said reassuringly, "It just that it's not for us to tell. If you want to hear about it, I think you'd have to ask Kai himself."

"Really?" he said, looking slightly nervous.

"Hey, don't worry," I said, "At the very worst he'll just say 'no'. He wouldn't eat you alive. He doesn't mind you. I may even go so far to say he actually likes you."

"He likes you guys too," he said, "You're all friends, right?"

"Yeah…" I said, "But I think…when he's around us, he might feel a bit nervous at times. He doesn't feel he can relate to any of us. But you and him…you have something in common."

"We do?" he said dubiously.

"Yup," I said, "And if you ask him about the Russian tournament, you'll understand why."

"Ok…"

We reached the veranda. Kai was standing there, with his back to us. He turned around at our approach.

"About time," he said gruffly, "Someone go wake Tyson, huh?"

"You say that like it's a _job_," I said in amusement.

"Hn. It is a kind of tiring chore," he said with a shrug.

See? Things like that. He _never _used to talk like that. Before I would have been lucky to get the 'hn' in response.

"Haha, maybe we should make a rota," Zeo suggested with a laugh, "So that we don't fight over who has to do it."

"Well I'll risk my life and drag him out of bed today," I said, "I'll see you guys in a few minutes, if I survive."

With that I went back to the room. Heh, this was like killing two birds with one stone. Leaving Kai and Zeo alone might give Zeo the opportunity to ask about the Russian tournament, and I could question Tyson further about the meaning of 'azumano'. (I still couldn't get over the fact that he actually knew what it was.)

I nudged my comatose team-mate with my foot. He groaned something inarticulate but didn't stir.

"Tyson," I said, nudging him again, "Tyson!"

Nothing.

I sighed and stooped to the last resort.

"Breakfast's ready!" I shouted as loud as I dared. He shot up into a sitting position.

"Aw, man," he grumbled when he saw me looking down at him, "Gets me every time."

"Yeah," I said, "You'd better get up, you're late again."

"I'm _always _late," he said with a grin, grabbing his baseball cap and donning it.

"True," I agreed.

He stretched and eventually stood up before proceeding to put on his shoes.

"Hey, Tyson…" I started, "Remember the other day, when I was asking about 'azumano'?"

"Uh huh? You mean you seriously don't know? Wow, I thought you'd know everything about this town by now, Ray," he said in surprise, "Y'know, since you're a traveller and all."

"What has that got to do with…?" I began to ask before thinking better of it, "Never mind. Can you tell me what it is?"

"Sure," he said, tying up his laces, "It's the name of a mental care home on the other side of town."

I was still feeling dazed when I landed in the past that evening.

A psychiatric home? That couldn't have been what Ebony was talking about, could it?

Could it?

Brushing it aside for now, I looked around me. I was surrounded by trees, in the same almost-forest Kai and I had found our way through the last time I'd been here. It was raining heavily, and starting to get dark. I couldn't see him anywhere, though.

"Kai?" I called out, glancing around for the familiar head of slate-coloured hair, "You here, Squirt?"

I received no answer.

A few moments later I heard approaching voices. Through the trees there came the man from the house and the boy, Kurt. There weren't wearing raincoats and so were hurrying to get out of the wet. I decided to follow them, seeing no other signs of life around me.

They ran on for a little while, me close behind. They both carried bulging white plastic bags, suggesting that they were bringing home supplies for the evening meal.

I looked more closely at the two of them, particularly Kurt. There was just something…different about them tonight, more noticeable about him than his father. For a short time I couldn't place it, but it finally struck me.

He looked…younger.

Only very slightly, which was why it wasn't so apparent in the older man. But there was a significant difference in Kurt's height and face. A few years makes a lot of difference to a teenage boy. So…this was further back than usual? But…why? Why was I here? And where was Kai?

Suddenly, the man's shopping bag split, spilling its contents onto the muddy ground. He swore to himself and stooped to gather them up. Kurt started to help, but his father waved him off, telling him to get back to the house and dry off.

I remained behind with the father as Kurt ran on. As he picked up the dropped items and tried to carry them in his arms, something nearby caught his eye. He frowned and stared at it, before moving slowly nearer. I followed his gaze and, at first, saw nothing. But when I looked more closely…

The man pushed a clump of bushes aside to reveal a small body lying in the undergrowth.

"What in the name of…?" he said aloud, eyes widening. Kneeling down, he scooped up the body and brought it out into the open.

Even from this distance, I could see it was Kai.

Unconscious.

In alarm, I moved closer, only hoping that I couldn't be seen.

I had definitely been correct about the time difference. Kai also appeared younger. He was even smaller than I knew him to be.

And he was in bad shape.

He looked as if he had taken an infamous Bio-Volt beating. Either that or he'd been hit by a bus.

His skin was unnaturally pale, like someone who has never seen the sun, but the ashen whiteness was greatly marred by purple bruises and open wounds. He didn't even stir as the man brought him out of his resting place in the bushes.

"Dear God…" the man muttered, shaking his head as he saw the state the little foundling was in. He placed two fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. Obviously finding one, he picked the small boy up and took off down the worn path, all groceries forgotten.

Of course, I followed.

I finally understood. This was how these people had first met Kai. Why it was being played back to me, I didn't know, but it also made me realize something.

These weren't just Kai's memories, because he couldn't have remembered this, since he was unconscious.

And if he was unconscious, why was I still able to stay awake?

Obviously I was just meant to watch this particular episode. Maybe I would learn something new from it. Maybe not.

Well…actually I had _already _learnt something new. Or confirmed it, anyway. These people…they weren't Kai's _real _family. No…that's the wrong word. They weren't his _biological _family. Tch, no doubt they were more 'real' than Voltaire. Sometimes, blood doesn't really matter.

The man reached the house and shoved the door open with his shoulder. I only just managed to duck inside before it slammed shut again.

"Nerissa!" he yelled, "Nerissa, come here!"

"What?" came the woman's voice from the kitchen, I guessed, "I'm making dinner. Could you bring the last bag in? I need something from it…"

"Forget the dinner!" the man said desperately, "_Please, _just come here! And don't scream!"

"Why would I...?" she asked as she came into the living room, drying her hands on a tea-towel. She trailed off as her eyes took in the battered child in her husband's arms.

"I found him in the woods…" he said, laying the small boy down on the sofa despite his dirty and bloody state, "He's hurt badly, we need to call the doctor…"

"He looks like he needs an _ambulance_," the woman, Nerissa, said, wide-eyed.

"The hospital is miles away. He might not _survive _that far," he replied, "I'll just call the doctor. If he hears it's an emergency he'll be here in minutes."

"A-alright…"

As the man went to make that phone call, Nerissa looked more closely at the unconscious boy.

"Oh Lord, he's soaking wet," she exclaimed, "And probably frozen to the bone, too!"

"Well try and dry him off, then," the man said with the phone at his ear, "The last thing he needs is to catch pneumonia along with all those injuries…ah, hello, doctor…"

Nerissa dashed out of the room, returning moments later with a hot water bottle, a blanket and a few towels.

"Poor little thing…" she said heart-brokenly, sitting down on the sofa and drying his small face with one towel. She winced slightly at the red smudges that immediately appeared on the whiteness of the towel but continued nonetheless.

As the warmth of the house started to slowly seep into his numbed bones, Kai stirred slightly and eventually half-opened his silvery eyes. Seeing this, Nerissa knelt on the floor beside the sofa so that her face was level with his.

"Are you awake?" she asked, "Honey, can you hear me?"

He stared blankly at her for a moment before jumping up and shooting to the other side of the sofa, watching her with eyes like twin silver saucers.

"Hm? He's awake?" the man said in surprise, hanging up the phone. Realizing there were in fact two people in the room, the small boy retreated even further into his little corner. He pulled his knees up to his chest and put his arms around his head, assuming that defensive position that had become so familiar to me when I had first met him.

"It's alright," Nerissa said soothingly, sitting on the sofa but making sure to keep a safe distance between them, "We're not going to hurt you."

Kai raised his head just enough to narrow his eyes at her in an obvious show of distrust.

"The doctor's on his way," the man informed his wife. Kai's head shot up, expression holding something not far off from terror.

"No, they'll find me," he moaned, holding his head in his hands, "They'll send me back, I don't want to go back there…"

"Go back where?" the woman asked gently, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. I winced, knowing that he wouldn't react well to such a gesture.

"Stay away!" he shouted out, jolting his arm out of her reach, "You can't send me back! I won't go back! Mum said…to run away…"

He fell silent then, reassuming the 'defensive position'. I realized that this couldn't have been very long after his mother passed away. The pain of the loss must still have been fresh for him.

So his mother had told him to escape Bio-Volt? Why hadn't she helped him to get out herself?

Had she…known she was going to die?

Nerissa looked up helplessly at her husband.

"Listen, kid," he tried, "I don't know who you are or what you're talking about. But I do know that, with those injuries, you shouldn't be moving. Really, you shouldn't be _able _to move. So you just need to lie down and keep still until the doctor arrives."

Kai's expression only became more panicked.

"No, I hate doctors, I hate doctors, I hate…"

He tried to stay alert but it was apparent that the pain and exhaustion were taking their toll and his eyes dulled over as he struggled with unconsciousness.

This was evidently all I was to see for the night, because as his eyelids (unwillingly) closed, my own vision and darkened, and soon I was gone.

_**End chapter. Ok, I know it wasn't exactly fantabulous. And I know it's been an incredibly long wait. But I just couldn't think of what to write in this little scene. So I (finally) decided to just end it there. Sorry. Next chapter will hopefully be better, and won't take so long with any luck. **_


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